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CHRIST BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN 



3tf)e atiwgtfon Religious; education ^exts; 
Bafcnb <3. Botonep, General €bttot 

WEEK-DAY SCHOOL SERIES GEORGE HERBERT BETTS, Editor 



THE 

BEGINNERS BOOK 

IN RELIGION 



By 
EDNA DEAN BAKER 

H 

PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL KINDERGARTEN AND 

ELEMENTARY COLLEGE 




THE ABINGDON PRESS 

NEW YORK CINCINNATI 






Copyright, 1921, by 

EDNA DEAN BAKER 

All Rights Reserved 



MAR 1 » 1921 
CU611066 









CONTENTS 

PART I 
THE YOUNG CHILD AND HIS RELIGION 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Early Religious Education 9 

II. Child Nature and Religious Education 16 

III. Activities and Materials 25 

IV. The Setting 36 

V. The Procedure 40 

PART II 

LESSONS IN RELIGION 

Autumn 
lesson 

I. Getting Acquainted 51 

II. Getting Acquainted (Continued) 56 

III. What Little Children Have at Home to Care For. ... 59 

IV. What Little Children Have at Home to Care 

For (Continued) 63 

V. Fall Treasures 66 

VI. Fall Treasures (Continued) 69 

VII. Changes That Surprise 75 

VIII. Changes That Surprise (Continued) 78 

IX. The Bulbs Are Planted 85 

X. The Gift of the Harvest 88 

XI. The Gift of the Harvest (Continued) 91 

XII. Home Activities 94 

XIII. Home Activities (Continued) 97 

XIV. What a Child Can Do to Help 101 

XV. What a Child Can Do to Help (Continued) 103 

XVI. Thanksgiving Is Coming 106 

XVII. Thanksgiving Is Coming (Continued.) 108 

XVIII. What Thanksgiving Really Means 1 1 1 

XIX. What Thanksgiving Really Means (Continued) 113 

XX. The Thanksgiving Festival 116 

Winter 

XXL God's Greatest Gift 121 

XXII. God's Greatest Gift (Continued) 124 

XXIII. God's Greatest Gift (Continued) 126 

XXIV. God's Greatest Gift (Concluded) 129 

XXV. The Joys of Christmas 131 

3 



CONTENTS 



LESSON PAGE 

XXVI. The Joys of Christmas (Continued) 134 

XXVII. The Christmas Festival 138 

XXVIII. After- Christmas Play 140 

XXIX. After- Christmas Play (Continued) 144 

XXX. The Lights at Night 147 

XXXI. The Lights at Night (Continued) 151 

XXXII. The Christ-Child 153 

XXXIII. Winter Sport 156 

XXXIV. Winter Cold 159 

XXXV. Winter Cold (Continued) 163 

XXXVI. Winter Cold (Concluded) . . .' 165 

XXXVII. Winter Birds 168 

XXXVIII. When Jesus Was a Boy 172 

XXXIX. Valentines a Gift of Love 174 

XL. A Little Child's Heroes 177 

XLI. A Little Child's Heroes (Continued) 181 

XLII. A Little Child's Heroes (Concluded) 184 

XLIII. The Hero Festival 188 

Spring 

XLIV. Jesus Grows to Be a Man 195 

XLV. Jesus the Man 198 

XLVI. Jesus the Man (Continued) 200 

XLVII. Jesus the Man (Continued) 202 

XLVIII. Jesus the Man (Concluded) 205 

XLIX. Glad Easter Is Here 217 

L. The Easter Festival 220 

LI. The Garden : 224 

LII. The Garden (Continued) 228 

LIII. The Wind, a Playfellow 230 

LIV. The Wind, a Playfellow (Continued) 233 

LV. The World of Living Things 236 

LVI. The World of Living Things (Continued) 243 

LVII. The World of Living Things (Continued) 245 

LVIII. The World of Living Things (Concluded) 247 

LIX. Every Living Thing Needs Care 248 

LX. Little Chickens 254 

LXI. Baby Rabbits 256 

LXII. Lambs 259 

LXIII. The May Festival (Preparation) 266 

LXIV. The May Festival 269 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Christ Blessing Little Children Frontispiece 

facing page 
When the Birthday Candles are Lighted 41 

As the Children Come 59 

"Sing, Little Children, Sing Everywhere" 99 

"Tell Me a Story" 134 

Groups of Children using Different Materials to Carry Out 
the Suggestion of the Story 167 

When the Offering is Put into the Basket 198 

The Flowers are Growing 228 

Feeding the Bunnies 256 



PART I 
THE YOUNG CHILD AND HIS RELIGION 



TO A LITTLE CHILD 

Singing with the birds, 

Laughing with the showers. 
Snouting with the winds. 

Dancing with the flowers, 
Happy little child, 

TA^hile away the hours. 

In thy joyous play. 
In every merry lay. 
Thou dost sing the praise 

Of the Lord above, 
Happy little child. 

Full of radiant love. 

God, thy Father, knows ; 

He who broods the chick. 
He who paints the rose. 

Gives thy daily crust. 
Happy little child. 

In his goodness trust. 



CHAPTER I 

EARLY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

You may have heard the story of the little girl whose mother 
told her at the time of evening prayer that God was in the 
room with them. "O mother," said the child, overpowered 
by the thought of the great invisible Presence, "please open 
the door and let him out." The remark of this child suggests 
the chief problem of early religious education: how to bring 
the idea of God to the child in such a way that the thought of 
him will not frighten but comfort, will not separate but unite, 
will not be dreaded but welcome. 

The problem set forth — H. G. Wells pictures his early 
religious experience thus : "I who write was so set against God, 
thus rendered. He and his hell were the nightmares of my 
childhood; I hated him while I still believed, and who could 
help but hate? I thought of him as a fantastic monster per- 
petually spying, perpetually listening, perpetually waiting to 
condemn and strike me dead; his flames as ready as a grill- 
room fire. He was over me and about my feebleness and silli- 
ness and forgetfulness as the sky and sea would be about a 
child drowning in mid-Atlantic." We believe that this experi- 
ence is extreme, but on the other hand there are many testi- 
monies to early religious misconceptions that have been difficult 
to eradicate in later years and that have rendered impossible 
a sane religious faith. 

At the outset of an effort for the religious education of the 
child we must meet the people who, with some such experience 
in mind, do not think that the little child ought to have any 
distinctly religious or spiritual training. Some of these ob- 



■h 



io THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

- 

jectors say, in the words of a representative, that children have 
"no great capacity for an idea so subtle and mature as the 
idea of God." I know of no better answer than Dr. George 
A. Coe gives in his "Education in Religion and Morals." "The 
child," says Dr. Coe, "has more than a passive capacity for 
spiritual things. The successive phases in the growth of child 
personality may be, and normally are, so many phases of a 
growing consciousness of the divine meaning of life. Not for a 
single year does the mind remain neutral or blank with refer- 
ence to the interpretation of life. Impressions are already lead- 
ing to reactions of both an emotional and motor sort, and these 
reactions are already forming into habits. To such habits there 
is already an intellectual side or the meaning more or less artic- 
ulate which the world and life are beginning to have. Very 
early too the child witnesses specific religious phenomena. We 
cannot hide from him our sacred books, our churches, our wor- 
ship. The real question, then, is never when shall his religious 
training begin? for it really begins with the beginning of ex- 
perience, and it goes forward with experience." 

Our problem, then, resolves itself into how we shall inter- 
pret to the child these early experiences; or, better still, how 
we many guide him into such an interpretation as shall eventu- 
ate in a satisfying God-consciousness; how we may help him 
to grow in the knowledge of God so that desirable religious 
attitudes and habits will result. However, the scope of early 
religious education is broader than the establishing of a right 
relationship to God, for if, as we believe, religion is a mode 
of living, religious education must touch all the experiences 
of the child, must seek to interpret his relationship to his en- 
tire environment and to build right attitudes and influence 
right conduct according to the capacity of a little child. Re- 
ligious education is, then, distinctly both moral and social. 

The suggested solution. — The failure in the early reli- 



EARLY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION n 

gious education of Mr. Wells so forcefully stated in the pas- 
sage which we quoted was a failure due to a lack of under- 
standing of child nature. Little children are timid and de- 
pendent ; they easily yield to fear ; they are intensely emotional. 
They accept on faith what is told them, having little reason- 
ing power. They live in a world of fancy, so that with very 
little suggestion from the adult, ogres and demons and 
dragons grow as if by magic. The power of God as the maker 
and ruler of the universe was evidently overemphasized in the 
case of Wells, while the idea of God as a loving Father, pro- 
tecting and caring for all little children, was withheld or 
placed in the background; hence the disaster in making the 
connection between the child and his God. 

It is imperative, then, for success in early religious training 
that the teacher understand the characteristics and needs of 
the child whom she is to teach and that the curriculum and 
methods of teaching be based upon this knowledge. Unless 
we know how to gain admission we shall knock in vain at the 
citadel of the child's mind ; we shall not only fail to make any 
impression but to get any spontaneous expression from him. 
He will look blankly back of us ; he will wiggle and twist and 
squirm ; he may try in every way to distract us from the sub- 
ject in hand by irrelevant remarks, or he may make a dash 
at any moment for freedom and a more interesting occupation. 

On the other hand, we may be deceived with apparent suc- 
cess, for children are imitative little creatures, and it is quite 
possible to have them go through the forms of a religious serv- 
ice without the slightest idea of its meaning. True success 
comes only as the teacher understands the possibilities for re- 
ligious education at this age and utilizes the dominant instincts 
and tendencies, the compelling interests; as she considers the 
physical basis, the mental grasp, the emotional response; in 
other words, she must work with the nature of the child, not 
contrary to it. 



12 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

The physical basis — from four to six. — Therefore we 
would throw upon the screen, before we go farther, a picture 
of this little child from four to six years of age. He is grow- 
ing rapidly. His body is very active. The fundamental mus- 
cles are developing in speed and accuracy of coordination. 
His senses are alert, sometimes termed "hungry." The body 
is plastic and habit- formation thrives. He is sensitive to 
changes of heat and cold and very susceptible to contagions. 
His endurance is slight and his fatigability is high. He has 
little power of inhibition, and therefore "sitting still" soon 
makes him and everybody in his vicinity nervous. 

Dominant instincts. — The great tendency to play captures 
the life to such an extent at this period that it may probably 
be called "play life." Activity, like play, is very inclusive; the 
child tends immediately to respond to every stimulus by some 
form of activity. He is rhythmical; he notes repetition and 
responds to rhythm with the whole body, arms, legs, hands, or 
feet. He is curious, eager to see, hear, touch, taste, smell. He 
may be destructive in his testing of things. He begins to ask 
many questions. 

This is the period when dramatic imitation flourishes. Now 
this child is a horse, then a fire engine, again a soldier and 
by-and-by an aeroplane. There is not much plot to his play 
and there are few characters, but for the time being the make- 
believe has become the real. This little child lives to the beat of 
horse's hoofs, the clang of the fire engine, the tum-ti-tum of the 
soldier's drum, the whiz of the plane. He likes to manipulate 
all kinds of materials and he delights to make things with his 
hands — albeit these things are very crude. It takes his im- 
agination to see a cat in the wobbly lines or a man in the clay 
lump. He is easily frightened and prone to racial fears such 
as those of darkness, strangers, high places, animals. His 
lack of experience and of control over his environment aug- 



EARLY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 13 

merits these fears. He is individualistic; that is, he wants 
what he wants, when he wants, as he wants. He looks out for 
himself always but unconsciously, and "the big emotional thrill 
is in getting." 

However, the child is now beginning to show decided inter- 
est in other children and in cooperating to a certain extent 
or playing with others. Heretofore he has acted alongside 
of but not with others. The group is very small though. He 
is eager for the approval of parents and teachers and begins to 
reveal sensitiveness to the opinion of other children. The 
nurturing instinct is strong; he shows protection toward or 
care for dolls, plants, animals, babies; but not the degree of 
responsibility of the next period. He is very communicative. 
His vocabulary is limited but growing; he talks much and is 
very frank and outspoken. 

"I like your new trousers/' says the Sunday school teacher. 
"My mother made them on Sunday," is the instant rejoinder. 

This child shows affection to parents, relatives, teachers in 
return for benefits received and usually by physical demonstra- 
tion. He is filled with wonder as he stands on tiptoe before 
the mysteries of the world. He easily and spontaneously wor- 
ships, making no distinction between the secular and the re- 
ligious. All life is holy to him. 

Mental characteristics. — Sense perception is very evident; 
the child is busily engaged in absorbing the physical world 
about him. Accuracy of observation is lacking. Attention is 
of comparatively short duration; interest as a rule is fleeting 
rather than sustained. Memory is operative on spatial and 
temporal lines. "I went to visit my grandpa. My grandpa 
has a cow and a pig and a chicken. I ate pumpkin pie. My 
grandpa gave me an apple." This is a typical memory con- 
tribution at this age. 

The reasoning power is awakening; the child is beginning to 



14 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

generalize and makes very surprising applications. His ques- 
tions show the dawn of rational inquiry. 

"How do little children get to God when they die?" asked 
Jean, aged four and a half. 

"God just takes their little hearts," answered the perplexed 
mother. 

"If God took only Bobbie's heart, then how will Bobbie 
know his mother when she gets there?" demanded Jean. 

This child is very suggestible; one idea starts a whole se- 
quence. He is very credulous too ; his lack of experience makes 
him an easy mark for the adult or older child who wants to 
tease or is too lazy to think out an honest answer that will 
satisfy. He is continually putting together, in new ways, his 
images gained through sensory and motor experience, and 
there are apt to be confusion, inaccuracy, and lack of atten- 
tion to detail. Truth is not a virtue of the child of this age. 
His emotions are both intense and transitory. Laughter and 
tears are near the surface and it is only a moment's journey 
from one to the other. Joy and sorrow are immediately and 
violently shown by outward behavior. He acts impulsively in 
responding at once to any stimulus, having, as already stated, 
little power of inhibition. 

Spontaneous interests. — This child is interested in such 
objects and materials as invite investigation on a sensory 
plane; in vivid colors, in noises, in moving things, in pleasant 
odors, in things to eat, in soft and silky textures, in fire and 
water, in simple toys, in blocks and clay and sand. He is inter- 
ested in pictures, especially those with bright color, few ob- 
jects, and familiar activity. He is interested in living things; 
in plants, in birds and fish, in all animals, particularly pets such 
as the cat, the dog, and the rabbit. He is interested in babies, 
in other children, in the members of the family, in the work- 
ers who touch the home, as the milkman, postman, and car- 



EARLY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 15 

penter; in such community protectors as he sees — the police- 
man, the fireman, and the soldier. He is also interested in 
activities, many of which have already been mentioned — in- 
vestigating and observing, manipulating and making things, 
talking and singing, listening to and telling stories, bodily 
movements which may or may not be rhythmic, representative 
and dramatic play, and a few very simple social games. 



CHAPTER II 

CHILD NATURE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

With a picture of the characteristics and implied needs of 
the child from four to six before us, it is apparent that re- 
ligious education cannot be predominantly intellectual; but, 
as Kirkpatrick says, "it must be of the heart more than of the 
head, and perhaps even more of the hand, a training in do- 
ing." What, then, are the possibilities for and the demands 
upon religious education at this age? 

Conditions favoring health and growth. — In view of the 
physical basis it is evident that for the sake of the child's pres- 
ent and future good it is very essential that we provide a room 
or rooms with adequate lighting, plenty of sunshine, an abun- 
dance of fresh air, and an even temperature between sixty-five 
and sixty-eight degrees. Because of the susceptibility to con- 
tagions and the serious consequences in these years, a most 
careful quarantine should be maintained and all children with 
coughs and colds kept apart from the other children. Because 
of the plasticity of the bony structure of the body it is par- 
ticularly important that chairs which fit should be provided, 
and that the child should be taught to sit well back in the chair 
with feet flat upon the floor. 

As the inhibitory centers mature slowly the child should be 
allowed much motor activity and should not be required to "sit 
still" except for very short periods, varying from five to ten 
minutes. A variety in the activities, together with the short 
periods suggested, will prevent physical and mental fatigue. 

Need of rich sensory-motor experience. — The child is 

16 



CHILD NATURE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 17 

hungry for sensory experience and for physical activity. If 
in teaching religion we can furnish an environment rich in 
things to investigate with the senses — as flowers, birds, pets, 
pictures — and if we will allow the freedom for this testing, 
we shall not only satisfy a need of the child but we are pro- 
viding for a wealth of clear, accurate imagery. Such imagery 
lays the basis for a comprehension of religious literature and 
for all spiritual experience which must employ imagination. 

The span of attention, we have said, is short; memory is 
desultory, recall being along sensory-motor lines; suggesti- 
bility is great ; the mind holds few things at once ; the imagina- 
tion is limited and crude. Therefore the material provided 
for song, story, and dramatic play should be concrete, full of 
action, vivid with sensory quality, with short plot, few char- 
acters, and largely familiar facts. Such material will be ap- 
preciated, comprehended, and used by the child. 

Use of handwork. — There is a growing interest in manip- 
ulating, drawing, and constructing. This interest may be 
satisfied by the provision of suitable materials and utilized in 
illustrating story and song and thus in expressing thought and 
feeling. Results are crude but meaningful to the child. He has 
all the joy of a Raphael as he reads in his daubs of glorious 
red and yellow, tulips and daffodils and dandelions. 

The process of learning is not complete until the cycle of im- 
pression-expression-impression has been made. The child 
understands the story of the Good Shepherd much better after 
he has worked out that story in the sand or built a sheep fold 
with the blocks and taken in and out his imaginary flock. 

Value of communication. — The child is naturally communi- 
cative; he wants to talk constantly. He likes to tell his ex- 
periences to a sympathetic friend. As his social world en- 
larges to take in other children he enjoys conversing with 
them. Conversation, therefore, is a spontaneous interest. The 



18 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

teacher may utilize it as a medium through which she may 
gain an insight into the child's mind, may know what his 
thoughts and feelings are, always remembering that these 
may be interpreted by the revelations of the body as well. 

Not only does the child convey ideas to the teacher and 
the teacher to the child through conversation, but the children 
influence and inform one another. Prayer or communion with 
God should be a talking to God and, therefore, is based upon 
this instinct to communicate. 

Importance of habit formation. — The nervous system is 
very plastic in these years and the forming of habits goes on 
apace. Not only physical and mental, but social and religious 
habits are being acquired. Behavior is becoming very promi- 
nent in this child's world; he criticizes William, who fails to 
put the blocks away properly, and he finds fault with the way 
Mary holds the doll. 

Good examples are very important in stimulating the for- 
mation of the right habits, and approval and disapproval from 
the teacher is recognized. "I like the way John is standing," 
from the teacher is sufficient to secure an immediate straighten- 
ing of twenty small figures and the simultaneous demand, "See 
how I am standing!" Habits of neatness, cleanliness, con- 
sideration for others, prompt and cheerful obedience, should 
be formed. 

Stimulating moods of morality. — Not only does the child 
notice behavior but he is quick to catch the spirit of behavior. 
The teacher may provide pattern experiences from the life 
about him and she may give him stories with right moral is- 
sue, encouraging dramatic imitation based on these sources. 
The experience of feeding winter birds was spontaneously 
dramatized by a group of children. Some were birds and some 
were children feeding them; the little birds came and ate the 
crumbs that the children threw to them. By this play all the 



CHILD NATURE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 19 

children felt gentleness, kindness, and a sense of protection 
for smaller and weaker things. The child thus gets the spirit 
of good behavior and will experience the moods of morality. 
The foundation is laid in feeling for a moral life. 

Basis for a rational faith. — This child is credulous, but he 
reveals in his questions the dawn of rational inquiry. He is 
satisfied to accept the word of an adult in answer to his ques- 
tions, and he seeks help in solving his little problems. It is 
true, too, that his imaginings are apt to be confused, inaccurate, 
and to lack attention to detail. For all of these reasons he 
needs a teacher who will be absolutely sincere and truthful and 
who by her replies to his questions will lay the basis for a 
rational faith later. 

The child's relationship to God, to Jesus, to people, as well 
as the causes for many of the natural phenomena, are easily 
accepted at this time ; and it is exceedingly difficult to dislodge 
the superstitions and false interpretations sometimes inculcated. 

Development of the simplest moral standards. — Along 
with the interest in behavior there is an appreciation of the 
simplest moral standards and a growing social cooperation. 
The beginnings of cooperation in the group of children as well 
as in the home should be controlled by such rules or standards 
as the child can appreciate. A new child in a kindergarten re- 
fused to do what the teacher asked; so well developed was 
this sense of right in the children that they took matters in 
their own hands immediately. "You can't stay here," they said, 
"unless you want to do what Miss Smith asks." Approval 
and disapproval can be used in setting the standard, and imi- 
tation also is very effective in bringing all the children to 
it. A group of children of the same age is essential to the 
normal development of every child. 

This child is absorbed in individualistic interests, he is im- 
pulsive in action; but his social consciousness is growing to 



20 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

include not only the members of his family but his circle of 
playmates and certain outstanding helpers of the home. The 
teacher, while recognizing the absorbing character of the in- 
dividual interests and the impulsive nature of the child's ac- 
tivity, must lead him to consider other members of the group. 
She can develop self -direction by securing prompt, cheerful 
obedience to rules necessary for all, giving the individual child 
a choice with the consequent feeling of pleasure or dissatis- 
faction. James, aged four, began to scream because he could 
not knock down the church that the children were building. He 
was taken into an adjoining room where he was alone. 
"James," said the teacher, "we want you with us but we can 
have only children who play happily in our room. If you are 
ready, you may come back; if not, you may stay here. Which 
will you do?" Three times the teacher had to return to ask 
that question. The third time James, with a winning smile, 
put his hand in hers and came back to the children. 

Control of the emotions. — The emotions of the child of 
this age are dominant, transitory, intense. He suffers keenly 
from fear, jealousy, or rage, and should be shielded from in- 
tensity of unpleasant emotion. A child who had had no other 
children in the family was suddenly confronted by a house- 
ful of them when her mother opened a day nursery. They 
used all her playthings, took every nook and corner of her 
nursery, and absorbed the most of her mother's time. The 
child suffered such jealousy that her disposition became 
morose and sullen and her health uncertain. She had con- 
tinual colds and indigestion until a wise physician surmised the 
cause and called the mother's attention to it. 

Through happy play experiences, stories, and music the 
right feeling attitudes should be developed and provision made 
for wholesome emotional expression. The children in a kinder- 
garten asked to make valentines. They were allowed to send 



CHILD NATURE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 21 

for the proper materials. When the package was opened 
there was great joy. "Let's dance," said Anton, "because we 
are so happy." And dance they did with the materials in the 
center of the ring — up and down and all around, clapping 
their hands and laughing in glee. The teacher of religion needs 
most of all to work for the right emotional background, for 
it is absolutely essential to desirable religious experience. 

Utilizing love of rhythm and repetition. — Susceptibility 
to rhythm and repetition is characteristic of this child and 
he possesses the ability to express rhythmically. The teacher 
may bring stories, songs, and verses with repetition and 
rhythm, and may introduce movement to the rhythm of 
music. The indirect effect is to harmonize the emotional na- 
ture of the child; the outer control of movement has an in- 
fluence on inner control. The rhythmic appreciation is the be- 
ginning of musical appreciation and expression, which is a 
vital part of religious experience. 

Awakening of a love for God. — The child is naturally de- 
pendent and trusting; he is also timid. He reaches out for love, 
protection, and sympathy. He is able to appreciate the love 
of father and mother and the others who minister to his com- 
fort, and he responds to their care and kindness with a warmth 
of affection that is evidenced by active demonstrations when 
they appear. 

By the same process of feeling, if God is presented to him 
as the unseen but loving Father who made the sunshine, the 
dandelions, and his pet rabbit, who "keeps care of him when 
father and mother are not by," as one little child expressed 
it, he will gradually through the imagination build up a con- 
ception of the great Father God, and will offer a wealth of love 
in return for benefits received. "Oughtn't we to thank God?" 
said a little girl in a kindergarten. " 'Cause we have such 
things to play with — blocks and our doll Bluebell, and the pic- 



22 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

ture books, more than lots of little children have." If Jesus is 
spoken of as the friend of children and his kindness to every 
one in need is dwelt upon, the child's love will go out to him 
also. 

The beginning of service. — There is a tendency in these 
years on the child's part to care for weaker things, to be kind 
and sympathetic when a need is understood and to do for 
all those to whom his affection goes out spontaneously. "The 
life of childhood," says Miss Patty Hill, "may become gradu- 
ally and almost unconsciously transformed by Christian ideals 
at work in such small matters as watering a thirsty plant or 
protecting a dumb animal." The child likes to make little gifts 
for father and mother, he is very happy to wheel the baby, 
and he will share his toys with a friend and his food with a 
hungry child. All of this is the beginning of service. 

Preservation of wonder. — Some one has said that, "The 
Eternal Child, as he moves through this universe, shouts at 
everything he sees in the presence of the mystery of life. So- 
called common things are not common for him; all is pene- 
trated with mystery. As, with wondering eyes, he turns the 
pages of nature's illuminated textbook of field and forest, sea 
and sky, God stands ever more fully revealed, for the Beyond 
draws nearer to us when we wonder." 

A group of kindergarten children sat one windy morning 
under a tall pine. Everything was moving, and the branches 
of the pine were especially active. 

"What makes the wind?" said one child. 

"The branches of the trees," replied another. 

"No," commented a third, with perfect assurance, "God." 

The teacher should respect the child's wonder and not brush 
it rudely aside. Nature study should be appreciative rather 
than analytical. 



CHILD NATURE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 23 

The approach to worship. — The child instinctively shows 
reverence in the presence of people praying. He should not, 
however, he expected to pray himself until his knowledge of 
and love for God prompt the expression. Prayer is com- 
munion, and when the child prays, Elizabeth Mumford tells 
us, that which matters most is his attitude toward God and 
not the form of his petition. 

One morning at Sunday school the children had told a num- 
ber of happy experiences, when one little girl said, "Couldn't 
we thank God?" 

"Yes," said the teacher. "What shall we say to him?" 

"Thank him for my baby," "For our new automobile," 
"For my pink stockings," "For the flowers," and "For the 
cookies," came spontaneously from the group. 

The teacher very reverently bowed her head and tried to in- 
clude every item in the thanksgiving. When she had finished 
the little boy by her side whispered, "But you forgot the 
cookies," and was not satisfied until the words were added, 
"Thank you, God, for the cookies too." 

The prayer or thanksgiving may be sung as well as spoken. 
Another morning the children were using the hymn : 

"For the lovely morning, all the earth adorning, 
Praise and thanks be given to our God in heaven." 

The song had come at the climax of a very happy hour out 
in the sunshine. 

"I love it," said a little girl. "Let's sing it again," and over 
and over they sang it reverently. 

The influence of environment. — And now we come to 
the last and possibly the most vital factor in the child's re- 
ligious and moral education — the environment, perhaps bet- 
ter termed the atmosphere, which, because of the child's sug- 
gestibility and tendency to imitate or reflect, has greatest in- 



24 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

fluence. You are familiar with the lines of Walt Whitman's 
poem: 

"There was a child went forth every day, 
And the first object he looked upon, and received 
With wonder, pity, love or dread, 
That object he became. 

And that object became part of him for the day, 
For a certain part of the day, or for many years, 
Or stretching cycles of years." 

Every object that is placed in the rooms for the children 
should be carefully selected, and flowers, hangings, colors, 
furniture, pictures should be chosen to make a harmonious 
and restful whole. Everything has its influence in producing 
or interfering with the atmosphere of order, beauty, and 
reverence. Not only do these material things influence the 
child, but most of all the people with whom he comes in con- 
tact. To quote from Norsworthy and Strayer, "Good temper, 
stability, care for others, self-control and many other habits; 
respect for truth, for the opinion of others and many other 
ideals, are unconsciously absorbed by the child in his early 
years. Example, not precept, actions, not words, are the con- 
trolling factors in moral education." If the attitude of the 
teacher or parent expresses the consciousness of a higher 
Presence, the children will instinctively acquire the feeling of 
reverence; if the daily living of the teacher is sincere, joyous, 
just and helpful, so will theirs tend to be. 



CHAPTER III 
ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS 

The activities through which the child secures religious 
education are based upon his instinctive equipment and spon- 
taneous interests. These activities are story-telling, singing, 
conversation, prayer, rhythmic expression, dramatization, and 
handwork. 

Let us briefly consider the purpose or value of each as used 
in religious education, the standard in selecting the material 
for these activities, and the presentation of this material to the 
child. 

Story-telling. — Primarily the story must give the child 
pleasure, for all other values are dependent on this first es- 
sential. If the child does not enjoy the story, he is not inter- 
ested and he does not attend. The great purpose of the story 
in religious education is to convey truth, to give ideals, stand- 
ards, to awaken the emotions of love, reverence, sympathy, 
and to suggest avenues of expression, to fill the child with a 
God-consciousness. 

What stories shall we select to realize our aim? For the 
child of four and five a few stories may be used from the 
Bible, some from folk lore and others from modern contri- 
butions. This child enjoys the familiar experience. The story 
for him must be short, full of action, with few characters, 
simple language, and positive outcome. 

The story for the little child should be told, inasmuch as 
he is more likely to lose interest in a story read from a book. 
He needs to feel the close personal touch with the teller. The 
story-teller must know her story well and she must have a 

25 



26 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

clear understanding of its meaning. She must be able to re- 
live it through the imagination so that its characters, activities, 
and situations are real. The English should be beautiful, ap- 
propriate, and of childlike simplicity. The day after a story 
had been told to a group of children, one of them essayed to 
retell it to the group. When she had finished, John spoke up, 
"You told it all right, but Miss Margaret told it prettier!" 
There should be dramatic representation through the voice, 
expression of face, and occasional gesture, yet with quiet self- 
control. If the story touch the sacred, there should always be 
the reverent atmosphere. For the little child the movement 
from introduction, through plot to climax needs to be swift 
with enough detail to clarify the action. There should be no 
attempt to point a moral at the close, but a confidence in the 
story to convey its own lesson. 

Song. — Music, and especially the song, makes a strong 
rhythmic appeal to the child and as strong a social appeal. 
Little children love to sing with others. But as the child needs 
the rhythmic and social values in music he needs equally the 
emotional stimulus and expression furnished by music. Emilie 
Poulsson says : "Bird and beast, garden flower and shell from 
the sea, are all wonders that thrill the little child who is just 
discovering them as if they were newly created for him. The 
song fixes these things in his thought and expresses the feel- 
ings for which he, unaided, would have no fitting expression." 
So responsive is the child to music that it becomes a mighty 
power in the hands of the teacher. Under its spell chil- 
dren are transformed from galloping horses to flying birds, 
changed not only in activity but in spirit too; from gentle 
mothers rocking their babies to martial soldiers following the 
flag; from hilarious laughter to quiet devotion. There is no 
other element so potent in creating the atmosphere of devo- 
tion without which there is no worship. It induces the rever- 



ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS 27 

ent gentle mood, and brings unconsciously the spirit of prayer. 
It calls forth the emotions of love and sympathy and gives 
them expression. 

Simplicity should be one of the first considerations in select- 
ing music, but variety and beauty of form are also necessary. 
The lines should be short, the stanzas should have few lines. 
The pitch of a little child's voice which is high should be ob- 
served and the piano accompaniment should include the full 
melody. The thought should be childlike, expressed clearly 
with familiar words and direct appeal. The verse should be 
good poetry in its simple rhythm and charming embodiment 
of the child's moods and interests. The final test of a song, 
however, is in the welding together of the music and the words. 
Not only must the rhythm of the one fit the rhythm of the 
other, but they must both interpret the thought and feeling 
unerringly. Here the folk song sets the standard for the 
modern child's song in its naive simplicity and beauty. Many 
types of songs may be used for purposes of religious education, 
as greeting songs, nature songs, patriotic songs, songs of in- 
dustry, lullabies, festival songs, and songs of prayer and praise. 
All the songs should have a happy or at least a contented note, 
as sad music moves many little children to tears. 

The desire to sing may be aroused in a little child by listen- 
ing to music. It is important that the pianist have a sympa- 
thetic touch and that she play softly and be able to follow the 
children. The song should grow out of the experience of the 
child. It is introduced sometimes through an observation, a 
story, a picture, or a conversation. The new song or hymn 
may follow the story, being sung at the close by the teacher 
without any explanation. If the thought is already in the 
mind of the child, he will have little difficulty in understand- 
ing provided the singer is careful to enunciate plainly. If the 
song appeals, the children will want to sing it over and over 
until by repetition it is their own. The teacher should take 



28 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

occasion to repeat the words and talk a little about them if she 
thinks there is any chance for misunderstanding on the child's 
part. We have perhaps heard of the child who interpreted 
"J e sus, Saviour, pilot me!" as "Jesus, save your pie for me." 
To keep up interest in the song until it is the possession of 
each child a picture illustrating the song may be shown, the 
song may be dramatized, or nature material brought in. After 
children have learned songs it gives them great pleasure to 
sing them alone or in small groups. Such requisites for good 
singing as a soft voice, a smiling face, a high tone, throat ex- 
pansion and a long, slow breath, the child catches by con- 
tagion sympathetically from the teacher. "Be it, live it, and 
the work is done." 

Conversation. — By means of conversation the child not 
only asks questions and receives answers, thus gaining infor- 
mation and enlarging experience, but he communicates his 
ideas to others. Conversation offers the teacher the greatest 
opportunity to get close to the children, to discover what they 
really think and feel, and through the exchange of experience 
to influence them. Conversation serves too as a way of uniting 
the group in a common understanding and purpose. 

The topics of conversation are as varied as a little child's 
experience, now of the activities which are being carried on 
together, again of the familiar home happenings and the mem- 
bers of the family, then it may be of some novel or exciting 
occurrence or perhaps of the wonders of nature and the good- 
ness of God. Some of the contributions are trivial and of in- 
terest only to the individual child and others offer the sugges- 
tion for a worthwhile discussion of value to the entire group. 

The function of the teacher in a conversation is a very im- 
portant one. First of all, she has to give the necessary free- 
dom. Some teachers suffer the delusion that they are conduct- 
ing a conversation when really they are running a monopoly. 



ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS 29 

In other classes all is as silent as the tomb because the teacher 
suppresses or fails to stimulate. She it is who must provide 
the incentive for conversation through pictures or objects, 
through a story or her own relating of some incident of inter- 
est to all. If she but provide a social situation, such as plan- 
ning for a birthday or sending flowers to a sick child, she will 
have a chorus of responding voices. A question vital to the 
children will bring forth many guesses and mayhap the true 
answer. It is the teacher's part also to select the topic for 
group enlargement, to choose from the acclaiming voices the 
one that shall be heard, and to see to it that the one chosen 
is heard by all. She may help the little child to complete his 
thought by a suggestion or an artful question here or there. 
She it is who gathers up the single contributions and guides 
to a satisfactory conclusion. Sympathy and insight are es- 
sential to success in this most difficult of arts, the conducting 
of a conversation with a group of little children. 

Prayer. — Prayer is a conversation or communion with God. 
It enriches the life to include a larger fellowship, it stimulates 
the imagination to visions of the unseen, it touches the emo- 
tions with a sense of great love and kindness, and it stirs to 
acts of helpfulness and service. 

As a little child talks to his friends of those things which 
most deeply interest him, so, if prayer is to be communion, he 
must speak to God of that which lies nearest his heart. It may 
be a request for the toy engine which he dreams of by night 
and longs for by day; it may be thanksgiving for the flower 
in his garden or for the baby brother at the hospital; per- 
haps it is a plea for care as he crosses the street or meets the 
big black dog at the corner. 

Whatever the children in the group are grateful for or 
need, the teacher must discover and help them to express in 
prayer. By arousing their sympathy for others she can gradu- 



30 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

ally include prayer for these too. A few words spoken in a 
quiet, reverent tone will create the right atmosphere for de- 
votion. The imitative little children will quickly bow their 
heads, fold their hands and close their eyes as they watch the 
teacher. Some will say the words with her, others will only 
listen at first and a very few may keep the eyes wide open 
with a look of wonder. The prayer if an original one or if a 
form, ought to be very brief ; from one to three sentences are 
sufficient, or four lines of verse at most. The teacher should 
respect the worship of the children and not close the prayer 
until every voice is still. Some will pray with the group and 
others will repeat more slowly, closing later. The sincerity 
and utter forgetfulness of all else in a little child's praying 
when he truly communes with God, is the most beautiful thing 
one can imagine. 

Rhythm and dramatization. — Some vigorous activity is 
essential for little children; the body requires it and the at- 
tention is lost in time without it. If free and spontaneous, it 
gives the child such joy as ought to be connected with the 
hours devoted to religious education. Much activity of the 
child at this age takes the form of rhythmic or dramatic play 
with other children. Through such play the child expresses his 
emotions and thoughts. He comes to understand the world 
about him as he represents the carpenter or the soldier, as he 
flies like a bird or gallops like a horse. He is socialized through 
playing with other children — learning cooperation, considera- 
tion for others, fair play. 

The simplest form of dramatic play is rhythmic expression 
or characterization of mood. The sorrowful mood is expressed 
by the slow walk; the contented, happy mood in the quick 
walk or march; the joyful mood in the gay skip. Then there 
is characterization through personification, when the child rep- 
resents by his activity bird or beast, workman or sailor. Finally 



ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS 31 

the characterization may be carried through a complete ac- 
tion with the fully developed plot. The children march briskly 
up and down with alert bodies and happy faces ; suddenly some 
one thinks of being soldiers and with flag and drum the march- 
ing continues; by and by tents are erected, the soldiers march 
out and parade, then break ranks and return to their tents. 
Here there are shown the steps of which mention has just been 
made; in the child's pla/, however, one step is now repre- 
sented and again another. As the children make the tran- 
sition from kindergarten to primary their plots are longer and 
more complex. The organization of the four or five-year-old 
is as a rule extremely simple. 

The teacher must see that the piano accompaniment for any 
rhythmic activity is strongly accented and that the pianist 
catches the natural rhythm of the children as they march or 
run or skip. The hands and feet as well as the whole body may 
keep time to the music. No little child should be forced to 
join in dramatic play until he is ready to do so, although the 
timid child needs to be frequently invited. A little boy watched 
the other children skip recently at Sunday school; presently 
he rose and began to join in the activity. When he was ques- 
tioned at home as to what he had learned at Sunday school, 
he stated with great pride that he knew how to dance. In 
rhythmic movement the body should be as free as possible; 
it is, therefore, a mistake to insist that the hands be held 
rigidly at the sides either in marching or skipping. 

In order that the child may personify with true understand- 
ing and dramatic feeling, he must have gained through experi- 
ence vivid images of that which he seeks to express. A group 
of children watched some baby rabbits for several days; they 
were entranced with their little soft bodies, alert movements, 
and hopping. Finally one morning some of the children began 
to play that they were rabbits with such clever imitation that 
the spectators could fairly see the round bodies, button tails, 



32 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

and hind legs of the real bunnies. The teacher may enhance 
the child's imagery by play with material, by pictures, by tone 
of voice, by colorful words — in any or sometimes in all of 
these ways. To ask little children to dramatize a story after 
telling it to them once is a great mistake. The child must 
know the story thoroughly before dramatization is expected. 
If the request to dramatize comes from the children it is a 
sure indication that they are ready for some expression. How- 
ever, that expression for the four and five-year-old needs to 
be exceedingly simple. Often it is sufficient to let them char- 
acterize the principal figure in the story, as the bear in The 
Three Bears ; later they can take the parts of Father, Mother, 
and Baby Bear, and still later Goldylocks may be introduced. 
The children need the teacher's help in selecting the characters 
in the play, in working out the setting and in organizing. 

The piano may be used as the organizing element. The little 
child will employ few words (possibly very brief dialogue), 
but most of his play is pure action. The dramatization should 
be as spontaneous as possible; the teacher who continually 
interrupts, dictating every movement and every word, is carry- 
ing through the forms of a drama when the spirit is absent 
and is stifling the true art impulse. If the children are thus 
dependent upon her, they are not yet ready to express dra- 
matically or the material or organization is too difficult for 
them. The teacher needs to be able to guide the activity and 
at the same time to efface herself. She has the knowledge 
of true art form which the children lack, and it is therefore 
her place sympathetically and artfully to help them find it. 

Handwork. — The physical value of handwork is too evi- 
dent to need explanation, and it is not with this value that we 
are chiefly concerned in religious education. There is no better 
way than through handwork to develop power to think, and 
even the little child can set and solve his problems. It is as a 



ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS 33 

means, therefore, of getting information and solving prob- 
lems and as an avenue of self-expression that the handwork is 
very valuable. It gives the child great pleasure and impresses 
the lesson of the hour often indelibly. Moreover, the chil- 
dren are usually in small groups for this activity and many 
times cooperate in a social enterprise, as in the making of 
picture books for the children's ward in a hospital; and thus 
a social spirit is developed. 

Many materials may be used. Some of the important ones 
are blocks, sand (every room should have its sand table), clay, 
paper, pictures, paste, scissors, and crayon. Projects that re- 
quire a long time for completion or a great amount of skill 
in execution have no place in the period devoted to religious 
education, as the very difficulty in execution diverts from the 
thought or ideal that the child is trying to understand or ex- 
press through this medium. The materials, as well as the 
ends for which they are used, must be adapted to the capacities 
of the child; they must appeal to his interest and offer the 
maximum opportunity for self-expression. 

The handwork may sometimes be used to illustrate the song 
or story, to provide setting for the dramatization, to express 
some original idea or feeling that has been aroused in con- 
nection with the other activities of the morning or possibly 
at home or in the outside play, or it may be used for a social 
purpose. Whatever the occasion the teacher must be sure that 
it is a real project, a whole-hearted purposeful activity on 
the part of the children. They should understand and de- 
sire to do the thing that is proposed. Sometimes the idea 
may originate with the teacher, sometimes with a child, and 
again each child makes his own choice. By suggestive ques- 
tions and by the use of imitation and discussion the children 
are helped to master difficulties. The materials should be kept 
neatly, each child being responsible for the care of his own 
and as far as possible for putting them away. The teacher 



34 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

should appreciate the effort of all; everyone will want her 
comment even more than the praise of one another. The chil- 
dren should have the opportunity to use or play with what 
is made, as this will greatly enhance its value in their eyes. 
When they build a church with the large floor blocks, they 
may play going to church and may even reverently fold their 
hands and pray as they stand before its open doors; if they 
have made little baskets in which to carry crumbs to the birds, 
they may fill the baskets and scatter the crumbs from the open 
windows. 

The order of procedure. — As has been suggested, the 
whole life of the little child is characterized by the play 
attitude. The play attitude, therefore, must characterize 
all of these activities when they are selected for pur- 
poses of religious education. They must be joyous, spon- 
taneous, entered upon whole-heartedly, employed as a 
means of expressing the thought and feeling of the child 
if they attain the desired end. Moreover, they are so 
closely related in the life of the child, as in their development 
by the race, that in the expression of one experience song, 
story, conversation, prayer, dramatization, and handwork may 
be used. Pictures led to a conversation about the Christ-child. 
Then one of the children started to sing Luther's Cradle 
Hymn; another child wanted to show how to hold a little 
baby. Everyone dramatized holding a little baby very care- 
fully. A story about the Christ-child was asked for, which 
was followed by framing a picture of the Nativity. The chil- 
dren were so delighted with the result that they skipped joy- 
ously around the room and then came to the piano wanting 
to sing about the Little Lord Jesus again. When the teacher 
suggested thanking God for babies and for the Christ-child 
there was a heartfelt response. 

While it is desirable to have a tentative order of procedure, 



ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS 35 

it is equally desirable that this order should be elastic enough 
so that the different forms of activity may be utilized as 
they will best express the mood, the thought of the moment. 
The teacher who works with the emotional, veritable will-o'- 
the-wisp which this child is, must be able to play up to his 
changing moods and flitting thoughts, to create her program 
with the help of the children, so that it may represent a real 
living together. This requires not less but more preparation; 
it is not an easy thing to do, but, rather, calls for the greatest 
skill. 

With this ideal in mind, the lessons in this First Book in 
Religion are presented, not as a prescribed but, rather, as a 
suggestive course of study. The teacher who covets the high- 
est measure of success must adapt them to her own group 
of children, and must remember that no organization before- 
hand can be substituted for the organization that must go on 
moment by moment in the classroom. The contributions or 
the reactions of the children are a variable quantity like the 
weather, which can never be prophesied with absolute certainty. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE SETTING 

The need for a suitable environment and its influence on 
the child have already been mentioned. It may be of help to 
give a few practical suggestions about the room, furnishings, 
and equipment. 

The room. — The child at this age demands not less but 
more space than the adult. The ideal room therefore should be 
large enough to hold the handwork tables, the sand-table, the 
chairs, and still allow space for rhythm and dramatic play. 
There should be no sense of crowding. The ceiling ought to 
be fairly high, from ten to thirteen feet, for good ventilation, 
and there should be a number of windows for light and air. 
If possible, the exposure should be southeast to secure the 
morning sunshine. The decoration may be in soft tones of 
green or tan with darker woodwork in brown. The green 
and tan are colors restful to the eyes and make the room 
light. The furniture and hangings should harmonize with the 
scheme of decoration. 

The furnishings. — The piano is very important. It should 
be sweet-toned and in tune. The Mosher chair or one equally 
well made is desirable for posture and may be purchased in 
two heights to insure comfort to all the children. The round 
tables are preferable, as they seat more children for the space 
occupied and are more conducive to the social atmosphere. 
Chairs and tables should be correctly adjusted to one another 
and to the children. 

Windows which open on a garden or overlook trees, grass, 

36 



THE SETTING 37 

or water permit the children to share in nature even when 
indoors. When the windows are raised in the spring and 
fall, the trees, the flowers, the birds, and the breezes are in- 
cluded in the environment. The covering for the floor may 
be linoleum or cork in dull brown or greens. If the floor is 
finished without covering, it is helpful to have rubber tips on 
the chairs as a quiet room conduces to a reverent spirit. 

There should be a cloakroom or curtained alcove for the 
wraps and a rack or some zinc boxes for the rubbers and um- 
brellas. A chest of drawers or a built-in cupboard is almost a ne- 
cessity to hold supplies. There should be a desk or table for the 
teacher, a few comfortable chairs for visitors, a movable black- 
board, a small, low table for plants, and a picture screen. To 
give a touch of color blooming flowers may always be brought 
in by the teacher or the children. 

The equipment. — In addition to the sand-table which has 
already been mentioned and which can be made to order by 
a carpenter or purchased through one of the supply houses, 
there are several other necessary articles in the permanent 
equipment. A set of blocks such as the Hennessey may be used 
for building inclosures, houses, or churches. Scissors, cray- 
olas in the eight colors, chalk, paints in at least three colors, 
brushes, paste, and toothpicks or slats for handling the paste, 
will all be needed at different times. 

There should be a plentiful supply of manila paper, of con- 
struction or mounting paper in gray, brown and white, and of 
folding paper in the rainbow colors. Small pans or dishes may 
be used to hold the water when painting and for the paste. 
Plasticene, or preferably clay, is desirable for the modeling. 
Handwork boxes for the tables are a great convenience; desk 
baskets in the wire, reed, or wood may be secured from a 
desk-supply house. 

One or more dolls with small chairs, and possibly a doll 



38 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

carriage or cradle, will make the room more homelike and 
will occasionally be useful in the dramatization. A silk flag 
should be a part of the equipment of every room, and small 
flags are desirable in sufficient number so that each child may 
sometimes carry one in the march. 

The pictures. — As a final contribution the beauty of the 
room is greatly enhanced by a few well-chosen pictures on the 
walls. Every normal child is interested in pictures. They 
broaden his experience, they stimulate his imagination, they 
aid his understanding, and they develop his love of the beauti- 
ful. A little child was looking intently at Raphael's Sistine 
Madonna. 

"Where was the mother when he painted her?" the child 
asked. 

"She was not anywhere," the teacher replied. "He thought 
of her." 

After a pause the child remarked, with intense admiration, 
"Say! but he must have thought she was beautiful." 

Children are attracted by bright colors or light in the picture, 
by suggested activity, by animals or children, by familiar ob- 
jects, persons, or scenes; most of all by the picture which tells 
a story on their plane. The pictures which are brought to 
them should meet these requirements, and those which are 
permanent, presenting an appeal that is constant, should be 
the best art. The following is a suggestive list from which 
five or six may be selected as permanent: 

Jesus Blessing Children, Plockhorst. 

The Sistine Madonna, Raphael. 

The Madonna of the Chair, Raphael. 

The Good Shepherd, Plockhorst. 

The Lost Lamb, Shroud. 

A Little Child Shall Lead Them, Strutt. 

The Infant Samuel, Reynolds. 



THE SETTING 39 



The Christ Child, Murillo. 

Christ Child, Sinkel. 

The Nativity, Muller. 

The Holy Night, Correggio. 

The Apparition of the Shepherds, Plockhorst. 

The Arrival of the Shepherds, LeRolle. 

Rest in Flight to Egypt, Titian. 

Adoration of Shepherds, Murillo. 

The Virgin at Six, Zurbaran. 

The Angelus, Millet. 

Feeding Her Birds, Millet. 

The First Step, Millet. 

Bringing Home the New Born Calf, Millet. 



CHAPTER V 

THE PROCEDURE 

The procedure will depend somewhat upon the place and 
the time where the material is used. Wherever this may be, 
the hour will open with preparation of the room and work 
and with greetings to the children. 

Order of service. — After the children have arrived, a con- 
versation period with more general greeting may follow. If 
any of the children have birthdays, these may be recognized. 
If there is a Cradle Roll Department, new babies may be wel- 
comed to it. When a collection is brought by the children, it 
should be received early in the hour, as the money, even when 
carried in an envelope or pocket book, is a cause for distraction 
until safely deposited. 

After these more general forms, the special material for 
the day may be presented, and the contributions of the chil- 
dren received. Sometimes this part of the hour consists of a 
picture, flower, object, or animal study, and discussion. There 
are always songs, verses, or a story, and sometimes a drama- 
tization. The prayer is woven in where it will express thought 
and feeling. Handwork usually follows the story in its func- 
tion of interpreting or expressing. After the separation into the 
smaller handwork groups there is always a coming together 
again for a song or two and a brief closing prayer. The per- 
sonal good-by of the teacher is cherished by each child. 

Birthdays. — The recognition of his birthday means so much 
to the child that he looks forward to the day sometimes for 
months. It is an opportunity too for others to express their 

40 



THE PROCEDURE 41 

love and good wishes for him. The children like to guess 
whose birthday it is ; they can usually tell by the pleased, con- 
scious look on the face of the birthday child. They may sing 
the birthday song to him : 

"Happy Birthday we will sing you; 
Many wishes we will bring you ; 
We will light the candles gay, 
For you are five years old to-day." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

The tiny birthday candles may be used and the small tin 
holders in which they fit. As many of the candles may be 
lighted as the child is years old. While they burn he may 
choose his favorite song and the children may sing it with 
him. Then he is glad to carry each candle to a playmate who 
blows it out for him and wishes him "A Happy Birthday" or 
some other joy. Perhaps the teacher will provide a flower or 
a card for the birthday child. All the children may repeat 
very softly : 

"Love we are bringing thee, 
Playmate so dear. 
God give thee happiness 
All through the year." 

Instead of the verse an informal prayer may be made from 
the children's wishes, as, "Dear Heavenly Father, please give 
John a happy birthday and take care of him on this and every 
day." 

The Cradle Roll. — Whenever a new baby comes to the 
home of any child in the group there should be a welcome for 
it. The child should have the opportunity to tell about the 
coming of the baby and the facts which he has gleaned con- 
cerning it; its name, how big it is, what it looks like, its lack 
of teeth and hair, its inability to walk or talk. The teacher 



42 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

may help him with questions and suggestions, and the other 
children who have babies will chime in with their experiences. 
A lullaby may be sung and the dolls held in lieu of a real 
baby. The Lullaby from Songs for the Little Child, may be 
used. 

The children will also enjoy the following song entitled 
"My Baby," in connection with the rehearsal of what their 
babies do : 

I've a cunning baby boy, 

And his name is Myron Lee. 
He can sleep in mother's arms 

And he rides on father's knee. 
He can laugh and he can crow, 

He can pull my hair — oh, oh ! 
He's a jolly boy, ho, ho! 

And he's very fond of me. 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

The baby's name may be entered on a Cradle Roll card if 
there is such a department. Perhaps a little gift may be made 
for the baby — a pretty picture pasted on a card, a bright chain 
or a red ball out of paper strips to hang on a string by his 
side. After the children have been led to feel how precious a 
little baby is, they may join in a prayer of thanksgiving: 
"Dear Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for Thy many gifts 
to us, but most of all for a little baby." 

The offering. — Where an offering is brought by the chil- 
dren, it should be so motivated by the teacher that it is a real 
gift on their part. This can be done by arousing their sym- 
pathy for some other child or group of children whom they 
wish to help. Often pictures make these children more real. 
The needs of a little child of which he is most conscious are 
material ones, hence he can understand best the needs of others 
for food and clothing. "I saw their little dusty houses as I was 



THE PROCEDURE 43 

going into the city," said Eleanor aged five and a half in 
speaking of the poor children in the great city. "They have 
to wear long black stockings, black shoes that are laced up 
tight and black dresses because their fathers is dead !" It was 
summer time ; this child and her playmates were wearing socks 
and slippers and pretty, light dresses; so to her this picture 
that she painted represented the essence of misfortune and 
need. 

Those to whom gifts are given should not as a rule be far 
away; "home missions" are nearest to the little child and ap- 
peal most strongly to his interest. He should have an oppor- 
tunity to plan how his money is to be spent and should have 
word frequently from those to whom he gives. Their apprecia- 
tion means everything in stimulating him to further giving. 
He is radiant when thanked and usually wants to repeat the 
experience immediately. 

The children may pass by a low table and drop their coins 
in a basket. If a march is used at the time of the offering, the 
children combine a needed physical activity with the giving. 

The money may be counted and the teacher may talk with 
the children as to what the sum will do. A prayer may be used, 
as : "Dear God, we bring our offering to thee. Please bless it 
and the little children for whom we bring it." 



PART II 
LESSONS IN RELIGION 



CENTERS OF INTEREST FOR THE YEAR 

The subject-matter for these lessons is selected from the 
child's experiences in nature, in the home and the neighbor- 
hood, and in the kindergarten. Bible stories and stories from 
many other sources are included as illustrative and interpre- 
tative material. It is the aim through this material to help 
the child to find God everywhere present in his world as the 
Great Father of all, to know Jesus as a friend of little chil- 
dren, to grow in a consciousness of his relationship to his en- 
vironment and to develop in response such moral and religious 
attitudes and habits as a little child is capable of. 

Autumn 
I. Getting Acquainted. 
II. What Little Children Have at Home to Care For. 

III. Fall Treasures. 

IV. Changes That Surprise. 
V. The Bulbs Are Planted. 

VI. The Gift of the Harvest. 

VII. Home Activities. 

VIII. What a Child Can Do to Help. 

IX. Thanksgiving Is Coming. 

X. What Thanksgiving Really Means. 

XL The Thanksgiving Festival. 

Winter 

XII. God's Greatest Gift. 

XIII. The Joys of Christmas. 

XIV. The Christmas Festival. 
XV. After Christmas Play. 

XVI. The Lights at Night. 
XVII. The Christ-Child. 

47 



4 8 



THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 



XVIII. 


Winter Sport. 


XIX. 


Winter Cold. 


XX. 


Winter Birds. 


XXL 


When Jesus Was a Boy. 


XXII. 


Valentines a Gift of Love. 


XXIII. 


A Little Child's Heroes. 


XXIV. 


The Hero Festival. 




Spring 


XXV. 


Jesus Grows to Be a Man. 


XXVI. 


The Coming of Spring. 


XXVII. 


Glad Easter is Here. 


SXVIII. 


The Garden. 


XXIX. 


The Wind a Playfellow. 


XXX. 


The World of Living Things. 


XXXI. 


Every Living Thing Needs Care 


XXXII. 


The May Festival. 



It is not the intention to prescribe in this series the activities 
of the children or to limit the initiative of the teacher, but to 
offer suitable materials and ideas from which selection may 
be made of those best adapted for use with the individual 
group. 

The number of Bible stories is necessarily small, since only 
a few are found in the Bible within the comprehension of the 
child of this age. The Literature Committee of 1920, Inter- 
national Kindergarten Union, in their selected list of stories 
to tell to children in kindergarten have named only three — The 
Birth of Christ, The Boy Samuel, and Moses in the Bulrushes. 
The simple realistic story of which many are included in these 
lessons is most suitable at this period. 

The songs given with the lessons are found in Songs for the 
Little Child, published by The Abingdon Press. There is 
a picture supplement for use with the series also issued by the 
same publishers. 



AUTUMN 



LESSON I 

GETTING ACQUAINTED 

First impressions are all-important, and they are lasting. 
The little child must be made to feel at home in his new sur- 
roundings, and at ease with playmates and teachers before he 
can enter into new activities or appreciate other subject-mat- 
ter. He needs time to get accustomed to the other children, 
to learn some of their names, to investigate the place in which 
he finds himself. Any one familiar with a child's response 
on the first day in a new situation, knows how his eyes travel 
from one thing to another, how he watches the other chil- 
dren, how absorbed he is in all that is going on. He scarcely 
heeds at all when his own name is called and very often he 
refuses to take part. 

Preparation : 

Therefore on these first days the teachers should make 
much of the greetings with each individual child, should 
notice any little treasure which the child is carrying or 
any new garment of which he is manifestly proud, should 
see to it that the children have the opportunity to go freely 
about the room, noting the pictures, the flowers, the bird, the 
chairs and tables. Everything will be of interest to the children 
and every chance to explore will help them to feel acquainted. 

If the children can be brought together as they are looking 
at pictures or watching the bird or smelling the flowers, at first 
in smaller groups, and their names mentioned to one another, 
gradually informal conversation will take place, one hand will 
slip into another, and the new friends will want to follow each 

5i 



52 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

other about for the rest of the hour. Moreover, this enlarging 
of the social consciousness and supplying of the need of the 
child for companionship are among the most worthwhile re- 
sults of the time spent together. 

Greetings : 

After the informal greetings which we have described 
and which should be a part of each period, but a longer 
part of these first days, the teacher may bring the chil- 
dren to the piano or to a circle or half circle of chairs near 
the piano and continue the conversation in a more general way. 
She may mention the names of the different children and 
tell something about each one's home or baby or dress or toys 
in order to help in this process of getting acquainted. 

The child is delighted with the individual recognition and 
smiles shyly as his name is mentioned. Perhaps he volunteers 
information about himself or his possessions and the chil- 
dren who know each other will let that fact be known. Pos- 
sibly the teacher may suggest counting to see how many are 
present. The children enjoy the counting and are especially 
interested in the size of the group, so much larger than the 
home circle. If the teacher wishes to use a greeting song, it 
may be brought in at this time. I suggest the following : 

"Good morning to you, children dear, 
Good morning, we will say, 
We'll sing and play while we are here 
And have a happy day, 
And have a happy day! 
And have a happy day!" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Rhythm: 

The refrain of the song may be sung with the syl- 
lables la-la, and the hands may be clapped or the feet tapped 
to the rhythm. This will introduce the physical activity needed 



GETTING ACQUAINTED 53 

by the child and will help in developing the rhythm and the 
melody of the song. At the conclusion of the singing the 
children may walk about the room several times while the 
piano plays a well-accented march rhythm. The windows 
should be opened during this activity. The children will en- 
joy the marching to music and they will be rested for another 
period of conversation and story. 

Pictures and conversation : 

The teacher may present one or more good pictures of the 
family such as are found in the picture supplement. She may 
show the pictures and then ask the children to tell her about 
them. They will immediately respond with some such expres- 
sion as "I see the mother." "Look at the little baby!" "We 
have a baby. It can't talk." "What is the father doing?" 

Through the stimulus afforded by the picture the teacher is 
receiving many confidences about the child's own home and 
family life. As he shares with these new friends the familiar 
experiences of his past he begins to feel decidedly closer to 
them. The teacher accepts every confidence, dwelling upon the 
ones that are of the most interest for the group, stressing now 
the mother's care of the baby, father's gift of a new toy, or 
big brother's asistance in teaching the little fellow to jump. 

Song and dramatization : 

Perhaps some of the children know a lullaby which mother 
sings to them or to the baby. "Hush-a-bye, Baby" is likely to be 
familiar to all. The children may sing this over several times, 
gently rocking to the music. If there are one or more dolls in 
the room, these may be held by would-be little mothers, making 
more realistic the dramatization. Other songs used at home 
may be suggested which can be sung either by individuals or 
by the group. No little child should be urged to sing alone 
on this first day, nor later, in fact, unless he does so gladly. 



54 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Prayer : 

When the love of home and the dear ones there has 
been stirred by this recall (and the teacher should be sensi- 
tive to her atmosphere in choosing the right time), she may 
ask the children if they wish to thank the heavenly Father 
for father and mother and the baby. She may suggest 
that all the heads be bowed, eyes closed, and hands folded, 
for the outer form will conduce to the spirit of devotion. If 
her voice is quiet and reverent, she will secure the desired re- 
sponse. When all is still, she may say, very slowly, "Thank 
you, heavenly Father," and then wait until every child has 
finished, who will participate. 

Handwork : 

The children then go to the tables for the handwork period. 
They may paste on mounts of gray paper small copies of 
one of the pictures presented in the conversation period. If 
such copies are not available, any small pictures of a baby 
or the other members of the family may be used. It will make 
the handwork mean much more to the children if the teacher 
talks about the picture again at the table. Then she may sug- 
gest mounting it to take home. She can show how to put the 
paste carefully around the edge of the picture, first turning the 
picture face down on the table. 

Paste sticks, small brushes, or toothpicks may be used for 
the pasting, and the child must be told often at first about 
the small amount of paste necessary. When the pictures have 
been placed on the mounts and firmly pressed down, the chil- 
dren may return with them to the circle about the piano, where 
they may look at one another's pictures and perhaps sing over 
again one of the songs used earlier in the period. 

Dismissal : 

The hour may close with a prayer, "Dear heavenly Father, 



GETTING ACQUAINTED 55 

please take care of us until we come again." Then the teacher 
may informally dismiss the children, saying good-by, how- 
ever, to each child before he leaves the room. The children 
should be aided by the teacher and her assistants to find all 
their possessions satisfactorily, as grief over a missing rubber 
or a lost picture may spoil the impression of the hour. 



LESSON II 
GETTING ACQUAINTED (Continued) 

Review : 

In the second period together the procedure will be 
much the same as in the first. The greetings will continue to be 
emphasized, the "Good morning" and the "Hush-a-bye, Baby" 
will be sung with any other appropriate music that the children 
may suggest; the pictures may be used again and one or two 
new ones added; the conversation will include new incidents 
of home life brought in by the children and the teacher. The 
teacher may especially emphasize everything mentioned about 
the baby and ask questions concerning the care given by the 
children to the baby, as "Did you ever hold your baby?" "Who 
takes care of the baby when mother is busy?" "Does the baby 
like to have you play with him?" 

Such simple rhythm and representative play may be used 
as the children suggest through their contributions and as 
will be necessary to give them enough motor activity. After 
one of these periods of activity — perhaps the holding of the 
baby, playing pat-a-cake, or peek-a-boo — the following Bible 
story may be told without any preliminary introduction. If 
the children have been sitting in the circle or half circle, it is 
well to bring them into a closer group about the teacher for 
the story. It is important that every little child should be 
comfortable before the story begins ; there should be no crowd- 
ing and every one should be where he can see the teacher's 
face. 

Story : 

Once upon a time there was a mother and a baby, 

56 



GETTING ACQUAINTED 57 

and the baby's name was Moses. The mother was glad when 
God sent the baby Moses to her, but she was afraid that she 
could not keep the baby safe. There was a wicked king in her 
country who wanted to get rid of all the babies of the Hebrew 
people; and Moses' mother was one of the Hebrew people. 
The wicked king planned to throw any Hebrew baby that 
was found into the river. 

The mother asked God to help her keep the baby safe. When 
he was very tiny she put him in a room and closed the door 
carefully. No one could hear such a little baby even when he 
cried ; but he grew fast, and by and by his crying and his coo- 
ing and his crowing could be heard outside the door. Then the 
mother feared that the servants of the wicked king would hear 
and would take Moses away from her. 

She made a little basket from reeds which she wove to- 
gether. She lined the basket with pitch to keep the water 
out, and then she put the baby into the basket. She carried both 
down to the river's edge ; and let the basket float among the tall 
grasses near the bank. Moses' sister Miriam loved him too, 
and came down to the river with the mother. Now the mother 
had to go back to the house to do her work, and she said, 
"Miriam, will you watch the baby while I am gone?" Then 
Miriam watched the baby and one other watched him too — 
that was God, the heavenly Father. 

As Miriam was watching hidden in among the bushes, she 
saw a beautiful lady coming to the river with her maidens, to 
bathe in the water. It was the princess, the daughter of the 
wicked king. Before Miriam could stop her, she had parted the 
grasses at the river's edge and was looking down upon the baby 
Moses. "Oh, see the baby in the basket !" she said. "He must 
be one of the children of the Hebrew people." The baby Moses 
began to cry and the princess was sorry for him. She said, 
"My father shall not throw him in the river." 

When Miriam heard that, she ran to the princess. "Shall 



58 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

I go to call a nurse for the baby ?" she asked. And the princess 
said to her, "Go." You can guess for whom Miriam went. 
She found Moses' own mother who came to the princess. The 
princess said to the mother, "Take this child and nurse it for 
me." That is how God helped the mother to keep her baby 
safe. 

Following the story the beautiful picture of "Moses in the 
Bulrushes," by Delaroche, may be shown. After all have seen 
and talked about the picture the teacher may suggest this or 
a similar prayer: "We thank you, dear God, for taking care 
of the baby Moses. Please take care of us and of our babies." 

Handwork : 

The children may go to the tables and mount small 
copies of the picture in the way suggested for the first 
handwork lesson. The story may be simply retold by the 
teacher to the smaller handwork group in connection with the 
picture study at the table. It is well at this time to suggest 
the pleasure that mother and father will have if the child will 
tell them the story after he goes home. This gives a motive 
for retelling the story, and each time that the child expresses 
any part of it he is making it much more fully his own. Every 
opportunity to bring the home and school closer together should 
be embraced. 

Dismissal : 

The dismissal can take place in the same way as was indi- 
cated for the first period. 




w 

o 
u 

w 

Q 

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i— i 

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< 



LESSON III 

WHAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE AT HOME TO 

CARE FOR 

Next to the home and the family of which the child has 
been speaking he is usually most familiar with and most in- 
terested in pets. He talks freely on this subject; it affords a 
stimulus for handwork expression and dramatization. In the 
joy of caring for these helpless animals the child forgets him- 
self. It would be well to welcome one or more pet visitors this 
week to make the lesson more concrete. God is thanked for 
the pets. 

Preparation: 

In the preparation period it is not only important that the 
teacher should greet each child as he comes in and take a mo- 
ment for the brief visit about the things that are of keenest 
interest to him, but she should welcome the help of the chil- 
dren who come early in the preparation of the materials 
and the room. In the first place, all the children should be 
encouraged to be independent in taking off and putting on 
their own wraps as far as they are able. In this way the 
teacher may help the child not only to become more independ- 
ent, but to consider the mother at home, relieving her of much 
waiting on him. 

After the wraps are removed they should be carefully hung 
on low hooks in the children's coat room by the children. 
There will be various duties about the room, such as the filling 
of the flower vases, the putting on the screen of the incidental 
pictures, the preparation of the handwork boxes. With all 

59 



60 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

of these details the children are happy to assist and such serv- 
ice may carry to the home. 

Greeting : 

From this active preparation the children come together 
for the good-morning talk and song when the teacher may 
recognize the new child, the one who has been absent, or the 
birthday child in a special way. It is at this time that the 
children are often eager to show some little treasure that they 
may have brought in — a leaf, a flower, a picture, or a toy. 
Sometimes interesting and worthwhile conversations center 
about these contributions. 

Then almost always there are confidences of supreme im- 
portance to the individual child which he wishes to tell the 
group as "My father came home from New York," "We had 
dinner at my aunt's house," "I've got a little dog !" The teacher 
accepts these, the child is satisfied and the group brought 
closer together. Sometimes a few words of prayer either of 
request or thanksgiving are inspired by these experiences. 

During this time or at the close, some rhythmic activity 
should be used, either clapping to the music of the song or 
marching or skipping to music, informally with no emphasis 
on succession. 

Pictures and conversation : 

A few new pictures of children in the home with the baby 
or caring for pets — birds, kittens, a dog or rabbit — may be 
placed on the picture screen and shown to the group. Con- 
versation concerning these pictures will take place among the 
children with the teacher guiding to bring out the necessary 
care in each case as, "What is the little girl giving the kitten ?" 
"Where do you suppose the kitten sleeps ?" "Does the kitten 
like the warm hearth?" 

The little child will not only answer the questions and ex- 



WHAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE TO CARE FOR 61 

press his ideas about the picture, but he will tell many incidents 
about his pets and the care for them, as : "I have a little dog. 
He likes a bone." "Our bird sings when he has a bath." "My 
kitten scratched me on the cheek." "I give our rabbits bread." 
Among the pictures will be some of the baby, and the teacher 
may lead the conversation once more to the way the children 
help care for him. They may sing, "Hush-a-bye Baby" as a 
group and individually, while one or two hold the dolls. 

Story and dramatization: 

Then the teacher may retell the story of "The Baby Moses," 
in the same words as she used before — the children will resent 
any changes. After she has told the story the children may look 
at the picture again; this time the teacher may ask suggestive 
questions; as, "Where was the baby?" "Why did the mother 
put him in the basket in the water?" "Who watched him when 
the mother went away?" "Who found him in the basket?" 
"What did the princess do with the baby?" "Shall we thank 
God for watching the baby and ask him to watch our babies?" 

After the prayer, the children may want to dramatize the 
story. They can do so very simply by letting one child repre- 
sent the mother, who puts one of the dolls in a basket and 
places it in a make-believe river, by letting another child repre- 
sent Miriam, who watches near by, and by selecting a third 
child as the princess, who rescues the baby. Very little con- 
versation is to be expected ; almost all of the story will be told 
in action. This dramatization should not be forced on the 
children, and the teacher should carefully select from the chil- 
dren who want to play the best ones for the parts. The set- 
ting should be agreed upon before the action starts. 

Handwork : 

The handwork may be the modeling of a little basket 
out of clay. Each child may be given on a piece of wrapping 



62 



THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 



paper a lump of clay about the size of an egg. The child 
may shape the little basket by putting his thumb in the 
center of the clay and pressing out the form. The teacher may 
help by modeling with the children. After the baskets are 
finished the teacher may cut from paper little babes for the 
boats. The children will enjoy reviewing the story with this 
play toy, and the story will be made more realistic thereby. 





Boat Basket 
5x5 inches 




CUT 


CUT 




CUT 


CUT 




CUT 







Cut 
1 inch 



If clay is not available, a little basket may be made from 
paper as follows: a piece of square paper is folded once 
to make an oblong and again to make an oblong half the width. 

The paper is opened and one strip cut off. The paper is 
cut at either end about an inch on the two lines, and the ends 
pasted together to form the basket. 

Dismissal: 

The dismissal may take place as suggested in the first 
lesson. 



LESSON IV 

WHAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE AT HOME TO 
CARE FOR (Continued) 

Observation and conversation : 

Or this day the teacher has brought to the class not only 
the pictures of the pets but one or perhaps two canaries. The 
cage is set on a table around which the children place their 
chairs at a sufficient distance not to frighten the birds. They 
watch the little birds intently. 

The teacher lets one child fill the water dish and another 
one the seed dish; it is of the greatest interest to watch the 
birds eat. There is conversation too about when they should 
be fed and how much as well as what they eat. Children who 
have birds at home will volunteer information. A child can 
fill the bath tub for the birds and perhaps they will bathe if 
the children have been very careful not to excite them. Then 
they may sing after the bath. The children can interpret the 
song of the little birds by singing "The Canary Bird," from 
Songs for the Little Child : 

"I'm glad to see you here, 
Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 
Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 
I'm glad to see you here, 
My little children dear." 

Then what fun to reply to the little bird : 

"We're glad to see you here, 
Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 
Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 
We're glad to see you here, 
Our little birdie dear." 

63 



64 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Story: How Dickie Came Back. 

If a story is wanted, the following true incident may be told : 

Once upon a time there were some children playing in a 
room where there were two little birds in a cage. The win- 
dows of the room were open, and one of the children pushed 
the door of the cage up. Before she knew what had happened 
one of the little birds had hopped out of the door and flown 
out of the window. 

"Oh, dear, dear, what shall I do?" cried Marjorie, for that 
was the little girl's name. 

"Close the door quick so the other little bird will not fly out !" 
called Bobbs, who had seen. 

Then the rest of the children heard, and they ran with Bobbs 
and Marjorie to the window. On the branch of the tree out- 
side sat the little bird very near and yet too far to reach. 

"I am sure that he will freeze if he stays out there," said 
Marjorie. 

"Maybe the cat will catch him/' said Harry. 

"What can we do to get him in?" demanded Bobbs. 

At first they thought they would close the blinds and make 
the room dark as they had done one day when the little bird 
flew out in the room. Then they saw that pulling the blinds 
would not make it dark outdoors and would not bring the little 
bird in. 

"I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll climb the tree and catch him," 
said Harry. 

"You will only frighten him away if you do that," said 
Marjorie. 

Then somebody thought of calling the little bird, and they 
called him very sweetly again and again, "Here Dickie, Dickie, 
Dick" ; but the little bird did not move. 

"I am sure that Dickie likes apple," said Bobbs. "We will 
put a piece here on the table by the window." 



WHAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE TO CARE FOR 65 

"Yes," said Marjorie, "and we will put the cage with the 
other little bird on the table by the apple." 

The other little bird was lonesome; she was calling too, 
"Sweet, sweet, Dickie, Dickie, Dick." When all was ready 
they closed every window but the one by the tree ; Bobbs stood 
near in order to shut it as soon as the little bird flew in. The 
other children went away and were very still. 

"Sweet, sweet, Dickie, Dickie, Dick," sang the little mate, 
and the apple lay temptingly near. Dickie hopped closer to the 
window; the children were breathless. Then he spread his 
wings and in an instant he was on the table by his little mate 
pecking at the apple. Bobbs shut the window; Marjorie 
raised the cage door and gently pushed the apple inside ; Dickie 
hopped after it. You should have seen the children dance 
and heard them sing, "O Dickie, Dickie, Dick is safe again!" 

Prayer: 

The children will sing to the little bird visitors again and 
talk about the story. Then the teacher may suggest a prayer : 
"Dear Father in heaven, we thank thee for little birds. Help 
us to take good care of them." There will be no handwork 
period as the care of the birds has taken the time. The in- 
formal dismissal may follow the prayer. 



LESSON V 

FALL TREASURES 

It will not be necessary to speak of the greetings and 
the preparations again unless to add some new suggestion 
from time to time. We can proceed to the material of the 
topic that is being introduced. Fall treasures are some- 
what different in various parts of the country; what is given 
here is selected as illustrative of the kind of discussion and 
play which may be developed with fall nature material any- 
where. The teacher and children bring some of the treasures 
to the hour together, examine them, play with them, and, of 
course, enjoy them. Again God is connected with the child's 
pleasure as its source. 

Conversation: 

The room is gay with the autumn flowers and the bright 
leaves brought in by the teacher and many of the children. 
Every table has its vase of them, and there may be branches 
in the wall pockets and in jars on the floor. 

The children's faces are as bright as the flowers and leaves. 
They begin spontaneously to talk about them, and the teacher 
leads them to tell where they found these treasures, to note 
the colors in them, to connect them with the fall of the year. 
As the flowers are named the children will enjoy saying over 
and over a little verse like the following one, in which may be 
woven the correct names of the flowers and the month : 

"Asters and daisies and goldenrod bright 
Come in October to gladden our sight." 

66 



FALL TREASURES 67 

Sense game : 

One each of the different flowers and a leaf may be used 
as material for a sense game. A child may blind his eyes 
and another hide one of the flowers or the leaf. The blind- 
folded child opens his eyes and tells which one is gone. The 
children delight in this little play, and they are becoming more 
familiar with the names of the flowers. Instead of using 
names, colors may sometimes be substituted. 

Story : The Maple Tree. 

Once upon a time a maple tree grew in the midst of a little 
child's garden. All summer the child had played in the shade 
of its thick green leaves. Now summer was gone and autumn 
had come. One day the mother said to the little child, "I 
want you to watch the maple tree carefully ; something wonder- 
ful is going to happen to it." 

The little child begged the mother to tell what it was, but 
the mother said, <k No, it would spoil the surprise if I should 
tell you." 

Every day the little child watched until finally one day she 
was rewarded. When she looked up at the maple tree she dis- 
covered that every leaf had changed to gold. ''Mother, mother," 
the little child called, "I know the surprise. The maple leaves 
have turned yellow. They shine like the sun." 

Song: 

After the story the children may handle the leaves and talk 
about the changes in the leaves on the trees. They may sing 
about the gay leaves : 

"Now the gay leaves on the trees, 
Playing with the autumn breeze, 
Whirling, twirling in the air, 
Fall here and there." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



68 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Prayer: 

The teacher may say that God gives the beautiful flowers 
and the trees with the changing leaves and ask if the children 
would like to thank him for them. If she has chosen the right 
time, there will be an atmosphere of devotion even though only 
a few of the children may attempt to join in the prayer : "Dear 
heavenly Father, we thank thee for the beautiful flowers and 
leaves that come in the autumn." 

Handwork: 

As handwork, there are many suggestions that may be used. 
The children may have crayon and paper and draw freehand, 
leaves or fall flowers as they choose. Needles and thread may 
be furnished them and they may string chains of the real 
leaves, or leaf stencils may be provided and the children may 
crayon inside the stencils fastened with paper clips to a back- 
ground. 

Dismissal: 

If there is time before dismissal, some of the familiar songs 
may be sung and the children may have the opportunity to show 
one another what has been made. 



LESSON VI 
FALL TREASURES (Continued) 

Handwork : 

When the children arrive let them go to the handwork 
tables, and talk about going for a walk to the woods or 
park. Suggest that each one make a little basket in which 
to carry the treasures that he finds. Give the children con- 
struction paper in squares 9 by 9. Fold over one edge one 
third the distance to the other edge; then fold the other 
edge over to meet the new base line. Open the paper 
and cut three inches on either end of both lines. Fold 
over the outer squares thus made and fasten to the inner 
square with a brad at each side; a handle of the construction 
paper doubled may be fastened with the same brad. 





9x9 


inches 




CUT 






CUT 


X 

CUT 






X 

CUT 





Cut 

3 

inches 



Fasten 
with 
brad 



69 



yo THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Excursion : 

As the children start on their walk they will be so full of 
happy anticipation that they will want to skip or run almost 
constantly for the first few blocks. Let them notice the fall 
flowers and gay leaves. They may want to repeat again and 
again : 

"Asters and daisies and golden rod bright 
Come in October to gladden our sight." 

Where it is possible to do so, they may dance with the leaves, 
run through piles of them, and crunch them under foot. They 
will enjoy gathering bunches of them and presenting to the 
teacher. Lead them to look for other treasures of the fall, 
particularly the seeds of different kinds, such as acorns, burrs, 
and milkweed pods. They can make collections of these in the 
little baskets. Any other objects of interest should be noted 
and appreciated. 

On returning to the room the children may gather about 
the teacher and take the treasures out of their baskets, examin- 
ing and talking about them. The teacher may lead them 
through question and suggestion to discover the little seed or 
seeds in each protecting case — the acorn in the acorn 
shell, the many winged seeds in the milkweed pod, 
the seed in the burr covering. The children can with 
a little help from the teacher discover the value of the burr 
as a means of scattering the seed, and the down on the milk- 
weed for the same purpose. A delightful game may be played 
with the milkweed seeds, one or two children at a time acting 
as the wind and attempting to keep the little seed afloat. If 
there is time, the story of "The Magic Flower/' from Maude 
Lindsay's The Story-Teller, may be told. 

Story: The Magic Flower. 

Once upon a time there lived a wee woman whose bit of 



FALL TREASURES 71 

a garden was a delight to all eyes. Such flowers as she had! 
And in the midst of them, green as an emerald and smooth 
as velvet, was a grass plot with never a weed upon it. And 
through the grass ran a garden walk as white as snow. Every- 
one who saw it declared there was no prettier garden in the 
king's country and what they said was no more than what was 
true. 

Early and late the wee woman worked to keep her garden 
fair and lovely, but in spite of all her care whenever the east 
wind blew it brought with it a whirl of trash from her neigh- 
bor's dooryard, and scattered it among her flowers. 

Alack and alas, what a dooryard was that ! Except for the 
trash that was always upon it, it was as bare as the palm of 
your hand ; and there was a heap of dirt and ashes as high as 
a hillock in front of the door. Everybody who passed it 
turned their eyes away from it, for there was no uglier spot 
in the king's country; and that is nothing but the truth of it. 

Whenever the wee woman looked from her windows or 
walked in her garden she saw the dooryard, and many were the 
days when she said to herself : "I wish I were a thousand miles 
away from it"; and if she made up her mind, as sometimes 
she did, that she would trouble no more about it, the east wind 
was sure to come with a whirl of its trash. Oh, it seemed as 
if she were always cleaning because of that dooryard ! 

And what to do about it she did not know. She puzzled 
and planned, she wished and she worked, but she had come 
to the end of her wits when, one day, her fairy godmother 
came to see her. 

"Never fret," said the godmother when she had heard the 
trouble. "In your own garden grows a magic flower that 
can set things right ; and, if you will only tend it and watch it 
and wait long enough you shall see what you shall see." 

And when she had pointed out the flower she went on her 
way, leaving the wee woman much comforted. 



72 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

She tended the flower and watched it and waited to see; 
and while she was watching and waiting, the flower burst into 
bloom. The loveliest bloom ! Every blossom was as rosy as the 
little clouds at sunrise ; and the wee woman's garden was more 
beautiful than before because of them. 

" 'Tis the prettiest garden in the king's country," said every 
one who passed; and what they said was no more than what 
was true. 

But as for the neighbor's dooryard it was as bare and ugly 
as ever. The heap of dirt and ashes grew larger every day; 
and whenever the wind blew from the east it brought a whirl 
of its trash into the wee woman's garden just as it had always 
done. 

The wee woman looked each morning to see if the magic 
of the flower had begun to work, but morning after morning 
nothing changed. 

"It is long waiting and weary watching for magic things 
to work," said she to herself, but because of what her 
fairy godmother had told her, she tended the flower from day 
to day, and hoped in her heart that something might come of 
it yet. 

By and by the blossoms of the flower faded and fell and 
after them came the seed. Hundreds and hundreds of feathery 
seed there were, and one day the wind from the west came by, 
and blew them away in a whirl over the fence and into the 
neighbor's dooryard. No one saw them go, not even the wee 
woman knew what had become of them; and as for the door- 
yard, it was as ugly as ever with its ash heap and its trash. 
Everybody who passed it turned their eyes away from it. 

The wee woman herself would look at it no longer. 

"I will look at the magic flower instead," she said to herself, 
and so she did. Early and late she tended the plant and worked 
to make her garden fair and lovely; but she kept her eyes 
from the dooryard. And if the wind from the east blew trash 



FALL TREASURES 73 

among her flowers, she raked it away and burned it up and 
troubled no more about it. 

Summer slipped into autumn and autumn to winter and the 
flowers slept; but at the first peep of spring the wee woman's 
garden budded and bloomed once more; and one day as she 
worked there, with her back to the dooryard, she heard passers- 
by call out in delight : 

"Of all the gardens in the king's country there are none so 
pretty as these two," and when she looked around in surprise 
to see what they meant she saw that the neighbor's dooryard 
was full of flowers — hundreds and hundreds of lovely blos- 
soms, every one as rosy as the little clouds at sunrise. They 
covered the heap of dirt and ashes, they clustered about the 
door stone; they filled the corners; and in the midst of them 
was the neighbor, raking and cleaning as busily as if she were 
the wee woman herself. 

" 'Tis fine weather for flowers," she said, nodding and 
smiling at the wee woman. 

"The finest in the world," said the wee woman; and she 
nodded and smiled too, for she knew that the magic flower had 
done its work. 1 

Prayer : 

After the children have been filled with the wonder and 
delight of this experience a brief prayer of thanksgiving may 
be offered : "Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for taking 
such wonderful care of the little seeds." 

(If it is not possible to take the children for an excursion, 
the teacher may bring to the children the different kinds of 
seeds and may examine and talk about them as has been in- 
dicated. The play and the story may be used. The little 

1 Printed by permission of the author and the publisher, Lothrop, Lee & 
Shepard Company. 



74 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

baskets may be made at the close of the hour and each 
child may carry some of the seeds home with him. Garden 
flower seeds may be used instead of the wild flower seeds if 
desired.) 



LESSON VII 

CHANGES THAT SURPRISE 

Again the material is suggestive of what in different locali- 
ties will be seen by the children to indicate the coming of 
winter. The fact that God's care has provided for this winter 
preparation is not beyond the child's understanding and 
arouses his wonder and love. 

Greeting : 

The children are now so well acquainted that they will 
enjoy greeting each other with a handshake when they come 
together in the morning. The Good-morning song suggested 
in the first topic may be used as a little game. While the first 
line, "Good morning to you, children dear," is being sung, 
any little child who wishes to say good morning to a play- 
mate may find the playmate. They shake hands and bow. This 
play must not be forced in a prescribed fashion, but allowed 
to grow through suggestion and imitation. Never ask a child 
to greet another unless he wants to do so, and keep the spon- 
taneity of the greeting through the form. It does not much 
matter here what kind of a bow is made or whether left or 
right hands are joined if the spirit of courtesy and good will 
is present. 

Conversation: 

Many changes are taking place out of doors; the leaves 
brought in by the children are brown and some of them 
are withered; the gay colors have departed; there are few 
flowers in the gardens; the birds are flying away. The chil- 

75 



76 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

dren have noticed some of these changes, to others their at- 
tention may be called by the teacher. "Why do the leaves 
fall and the birds fly away?" she may ask if a child does 
not propose the question first. The children have noted that 
it is getting colder; perhaps there have been already a few 
snowflakes and frost has been evident frequently. "Winter 
is coming," the children say, and these changes, they come to 
realize, are the preparation. 

Song: 

Some time during this conversation or at its close, the 
teacher may sing to them : 

"The brown leaves are falling, 
The birds will soon fly, 
The shrill winds are calling, 
'Dear Summer, good-by.' " 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

After the song has been sung two or three times the chil- 
dren join with the teacher in the singing. They may re- 
peat the words once without the music to be sure that every 
child has the correct wording. They may talk a little about the 
shrill winds and perhaps the teacher or the children will imitate 
the sound of this wind. If the shrill winds are blowing out- 
side, all become very still and listen to the sound. Whistling 
to the tune gives the effect of the wind and is much enjoyed 
by the little boys in particular. 

Representative play: 

After the singing of the song, the children may wish to 
play that they are the brown leaves floating through the air 
or the milkweed down. They look out of the window for a 
few minutes and watch the leaves falling through the air. 
If the milkweed pods are still in the room, a few of the seeds 



CHANGES THAT SURPRISE 77 

may be allowed to float over the room and out of the win- 
dow. When the children have caught the feeling of this 
floating, on tiptoe with arms lightly extended they glide 
about the room. The pianist may use as instrumental music 
''Floating like a Feather," in Rhythms of Childhood, by Caro- 
line Crawford. 

Story in review : 

After the activity the children may gather in a group about 
the teacher for the retelling of Maud Lindsay's story of "The 
Magic Flower." At the close the teacher and children may 
talk about what is happening to the flowers in the garden, 
bringing out especially the provision in the seeds for the re- 
newed life in the spring. 

Prayer : 

Such a prayer as the following one may be used at this time 
or earlier in the session : "Dear Father in heaven, we thank 
you for taking care of the birds and the flowers in the winter." 

Handwork: 

As handwork the children may draw freehand a picture of 
the leaves falling through the air, of the bare tree dropping 
its leaves, of the birds flying away. Any representation that 
they wish to make will be welcomed. 



LESSON VIII 

CHANGES THAT SURPRISE (Continued) 

As the children come together they probably will volunteer 
more information concerning the coming of winter; they will 
have noted the same signs and perhaps other signs of its com- 
ing. They will wish to sing again : 

"The brown leaves are falling, 
The birds will soon fly, 
The shrill winds are calling, 
'Dear Summer, good-by.' " 

Rhythmic play: 

The song may be followed by a representation of fly- 
ing birds and falling leaves. This may be carried out 
in several ways. The birds may fly away (the children dis- 
appearing in the hall or cloak room). The leaves floating 
through the air may be represented again or some of the 
children may be floating leaves while others are flying birds. 
The same music suggested before for the leaves may be used 
and "Birds A-Flying" or "The Wind's Blowing Us," from 
The Rhythms of Childhood by Crawford. 

Walk: 

If possible, on one of the days devoted to this topic the 
children should be taken for a walk when they may ob- 
serve the changes. If they see a flock of birds high over- 
head winging their way southward, the wonder of it is some- 
thing that they will never forget. If the walk cannot be 
arranged, perhaps the windows will provide some desirable 

78 



CHANGES THAT SURPRISE 79 

observation or the teacher may bring in pictures showing fly- 
ing birds, the leaves fluttering down, and the bare trees. God's 
goodness in caring for the plants and animals through the 
different devices for safety and comfort should be brought 
out by suggestion, question, and direct information. 

Prayer : 

All will be glad to join in the spirit of a prayer : "Dear 
heavenly Father, thou art good to us and to everything that 
thou hast made. We thank thee." 

Story : The Wee Nest. 

"The Wee Nest," in The Story Garden, by Maud Lindsay, 
may be told. 

Once upon a time two little birds built a wee little nest in 
a pink rose tree. 

(And a little boy saw them ; but he did not tell, 
For it was a secret, he knew very well.) 

The nest was round and cosy and soft; and when it was 
finished the mother-bird put eggs in it — the prettiest eggs ! 

(And the little boy peeped in the nest to see, 
But he was as careful as he could be.) 

The mother-bird sat on the nest almost all the time to keep 
the eggs safe and warm; and when she was tired the father- 
bird took her place. 

(And the little boy watched them, and wondered too 
What would become of those eggs of blue.) 

Day after day the mother-bird sat on the nest ; but one morn- 
ing she flew away singing her sweetest song. The father-bird 
sang too, for something wonderful had happened. The pretty 



80 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

blue eggs were broken, but in their place were — what do you 
think? Baby birds, cunning and weak and wee. 

(The little boy counted them, one, two, three, 
Three baby birds in the pink rose tree.) 

The father-bird and the mother-bird were busy all day get- 
ting their babies something to eat. 

(And the little boy threw them some crumbs of bread. 
"Perhaps they'll like these for their dinner," he said.) 

The little birds grew very fast. It was not long before they 
were ready to learn to fly. Mother-bird and father-bird showed 
them how to spread their wings, and hold their feet; and the 
little birds tried to do just as they were told. 

(And the little boy laughed to see them try; 
They were so funny, and fat and shy!) 

At first they could only fly from the rose tree to the ground ; 
but soon their wings grew strong, and then away they went 
over the rose tree, over the fence, into the world. 

(And the little boy called as he watched them fly, 
"Dear little birdies, good-by, good-by.") 1 

After the telling of the story an empty bird's nest from which 
the birds have flown may be examined. Each child will like 
to put his hand inside the nest to feel the form and the soft- 
ness of it. The wonder aroused by the story and the touch 
of the real nest will shine in the eyes. "The Beyond draws 
nearer to us as we wonder." 

Handwork: 

A small piece of clay placed on a square of wrapping or 
manila paper may be given to each child. The children can put 

1 Printed by permission of the author and the publisher, Lothrop, Lee & 
Shepard Company. 



CHANGES THAT SURPRISE 81 

the thumb in the center of the piece and press out a little 
nest. An extra piece of clay may be given so that the chil- 
dren can make little eggs for the nest if they wish. In- 
stead of a clay nest crayons and manila paper may be sub- 
stituted and a tree drawn with a nest in its branches. The 
birds flying away from the nest in the tree may also be sug- 
gested in the picture. 

Verse : 

After the children have finished the clay nest or the draw- 
ing, the teacher may call them to her or she may let the assist- 
ant teachers keep them at the tables for the repetition of 
the following verse by Christina Rossetti. The verse com- 
pletes the experience by suggesting the return of the birds 
in the spring; it alleviates the sadness which the child feels 
when he says good-by. The children may wish to repeat the 
verse with the teacher. 

''Fly away, fly away, 
Over the sea, 
Sun-loving swallow, 

For summer is done. 

"Come again, come again, 
Come back to me, 
Bringing the summer 

And bringing the sun." 

The following additional subject-matter under this topic 
is sketched in order that the individual teacher may have sug- 
gestions for using any good material at hand. Either the 
caterpillar or squirrel illustration might be developed more 
fully, and an entire period spent upon it. 

Observation and conversation: 

On one of the excursions the teacher and the children may 



82 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

have found a few caterpillars to bring back to the room. A 
place for them is easily constructed by taking a large cardboard 
box and cutting windows in each side very nearly as large as 
the side. A coarse mosquito netting is put over the open- 
ings. If twigs are fastened in the box and the leaves upon 
which the caterpillar feeds placed inside, the caterpillars will 
thrive and will spin their winter nests as the children watch. 
Other cocoons may be brought in from out of doors so that the 
children will realize that the same process is going on there in 
preparation for the winter. 

Verse : 

As the children watch the caterpillars this verse by Christina 
Rossetti may be repeated for them : 

"Brown and furry, 
Caterpillar in a hurry, 
Take your walk 
To the shady leaf or stalk. 

"May no toad spy you, 
May the little birds pass by you, 
Spin and die 
To live again a butterfly." 

The mystery of this living again as a butterfly need not 
be fully explained; it will be one of spring's most wonderful 
surprises. 

Further observation and conversation: 

Many of the children have pets at home, and the teacher may 
lead them to note how much thicker the coats of these pets are 
becoming. They may then discuss with each other the length 
and thickness of Pussy's and Rover's furry coats, of the rab- 
bit's and guinea pig's hair. If the children have horses and 
cows, they have other good illustrations. Perhaps there are 



CHANGES THAT SURPRISE 83 

squirrels in the woods or parks near at hand or even in the trees 
outside the school. Their bushy tails will be noted and their 
busy storing of nuts in the holes in the trees or underneath 
the trees in the ground. 

Picture Study: 

"Little Freehold," by Carter, is an interesting picture to 
study in connection with the squirrels. The children will have 
many experiences of their own to contribute here too. Their 
part in feeding the squirrels as well as God's part in providing 
the nuts and a shelter for these little creatures, may be particu- 
larly dwelt upon by the teacher. 

Song and Prayer : 

The children may pray: "Dear heavenly Father, we thank 
thee for caring for the squirrels. May we help thee to care 
for them." 

Handwork : 

The teacher and children may talk about feeding the squir- 
rels. They may suggest going to the grocery for nuts. The 
teacher asks what each one needs in order to carry his 
nuts to the squirrels. Baskets like those used for gathering the 
seeds may be made, this time with very little suggestion from 
the teacher if the children are given the squares of paper 9 by 
9 inches. 

Walk: 

When the baskets are finished the walk may be taken to 
the store, the nuts purchased by the children, and the squir- 
rels visited and fed. If it is not practicable to go to the 
grocery store, the teacher may bring the nuts and give to the 
children; or the children may take the baskets home and fill 
them there, individually visiting the squirrels later. If the 



84 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

walk is not taken by the group, the children may wish to 
dramatize the feeding in the room. Some may be squirrels 
while the rest visit them and feed them from their baskets, the 
little squirrels hopping about on the ground and playing "pick 
up nuts." 

Song: The Squirrel. (Songs for the Little Child.) 

"With bushy tail and shining eyes 
He leaps from tree to tree. 
I bring him peanuts for a surprise, 
And then he leaps to me." 



LESSON IX 

THE BULBS ARE PLANTED 

This lesson suggests nature's part in producing more leaves 
and flowers again, and the child's part in cooperating with God 
in the making of more beauty. The Bulb Planting may be a 
festival about the time of the familiar one of Halloween. 

Conversation and song : 

As the weather grows colder there may be frost in the morn- 
ing and the children come in with rosy cheeks and tingling 
fingers. They speak of the cold and of sliding on the frost, of 
finding ice on the pond and pictures on the window panes. 
They are filled with the joy of the winter time that is coming. 
At the climax of this expression the following song may be 
sung: 

"Very cold it was last night; 
Window panes are coated white; 
Hoary frost lies all around 
On the fences and the ground. 
Ice has covered pond and stream, 
And my breath is turned to steam." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Then the teacher may ask what has happened to the seeds, 
and the children find that they are covered by the brown 
leaves and by the frost. The brown leaves, however, keep 
them warm. The teacher may bring to the children the branch 
of a tree, letting them discover the little knobs which are the 
leaf buds. They note how carefully these are protected 
from the frost and the cold of the winter. The teacher may 

85 



86 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

suggest the planting of bulbs in the garden to make it beauti- 
ful in the spring when the wild flowers come up and the 
leaves come again on the trees. If a florist shop is near, teacher 
and children may walk over and purchase their bulbs. The 
children will be greatly interested in the brown house in which 
the little plants are sleeping. 

The planting: 

If the school has a garden, the children plant there 
preferably. They may dig the bed with small spades, put 
the bulbs in at the right depth and cover them over with earth. 
They may carry or rake leaves over the earth so that 
their bulbs will be even better protected than the wild-flower 
seeds. If the planting out of doors cannot be managed, pots 
of dirt can be provided, the bulbs planted in these, covered 
with earth and with straw and put in a cool, dark place for 
from three to six weeks. When brought out they should be 
put in the sunny windows and watered well. They will bloom 
during the winter and in the early spring, to the great joy 
of the children. The children will watch for the first green 
shoot and will note every step in the growing process. When 
the planting has been done, they may come together and talk 
over their anticipations concerning the garden and the bloom- 
ing of their bulbs. They may ask God to help them care for 
the bulbs and thank him for the sunshine and the rain. 

Review in story, verse and song: 

The teacher may ask the children to choose one of the stories 
for retelling. Perhaps they will choose "The Magic Flower," or 
"The Wee Nest." The verses about the caterpillar and the 
swallow may be repeated and the song of the Brown Leaves 
may be sung. Perhaps there will be time for a dramatization 
of some of these activities, such as the flight of the birds south, 
the falling of the leaves, the going to sleep of the flowers. 



THE BULBS ARE PLANTED 87 

Children like to play that they are seeds asleep under the 
leaves, then later to awaken when the spring rain and sun- 
shine are announced. They curl up in quiet little balls on the 
floor, slowly unfolding and stretching up toward the sun. 

Song : Seeds Fall. ( Songs for the Little Child. ) 

"Little seeds fall to the ground, 

Soft earth covers them from view, 
Snowflakes form the counterpane — 
So they sleep the winter through." 



LESSON X 

THE GIFT OF THE HARVEST 

The fruits and vegetables are familiar to every child. The 
child in the city sees them in the groceries and on the carts; 
the child in the country, on the trees and in the garden. If 
possible all the children should have the opportunity to see 
a garden at least. Fruits, vegetables and nuts may be brought 
to the class and pictures and drawing may be used to illustrate. 
A little of the process of growth may be explained and God's 
part in the giving of sun and rain made clear. 

Song and rhythm : 

If the morning is cold and frosty, the teacher and children 
may comment upon the frost, the coated window panes, the 
ice on pond and stream. They will enjoy singing again the 
Frost Song introduced at the last period. Perhaps the chil- 
dren will want to show how they slide upon the frosty walks. 
Appropriate music (a slow three- fourths rhythm well ac- 
cented) may be used as an accompaniment to this activity; 
the movement is a gliding one. The mood of the chil- 
dren may call for a different type of rhythm; happy as a re- 
sult of the fall sunshine and crisp air they may delight in a 
quick, light skip. "A Clear Frosty Morning ! Here We Go !" 
from The Rhythms of Childhood, by Caroline Crawford, 
may be used. 

Conversation: 

After the rhythmic expression, the conversation may be 
continued. The children may recall the planting of their 

88 



THE GIFT OF THE HARVEST 89 

bulbs, and the various preparations for the winter which 
they have been observing. Perhaps some child may tell 
about the bringing in of fruit and vegetables from the 
garden and the orchard, or about the barrel of apples or box 
of pears that the family have received from the country. 
If the information does not come spontaneously from the 
children, the teacher may tell some experience of her own 
or may ask questions which will elicit the information about 
this further fall preparation. The teacher may propose a 
walk to a garden, an excursion to an orchard if such can be 
reached, or failing either one of these possibilities, a visit to 
the grocery store. 

Excursion: 

With two or three baskets, a little cart or wagon the happy 
group starts to the garden or the orchard. They will prob- 
ably want to skip or run from time to time on this crisp 
morning and part of the joy of the excursion will be the 
anticipation in the going. When the garden is reached (the 
teacher ought always to visit the place previous to taking the 
children there, making arrangements with the owner about 
what she wishes to do), the children may first visit every nook 
and corner, finding for themselves the different vegetables and 
fruits. If the process of gathering and storing is going on or 
has been completed, the children may observe how the fruits 
and vegetables have been packed and stored. They may talk 
with the gardener and the teacher about the growth and also 
the necessity of gathering before the cold of the winter. They 
may then purchase from the gardener some vegetables for their 
pets and some fruit for themselves and their fathers and 
mothers. 

Return to school: 

The return will be at a slower pace; the baskets and the little 



90 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

wagon are full and the children take turns in carrying or 
hauling. As they walk along together, they will like to say 
over their fall verses and this new one may be given if ap- 
propriate. 

"The goldenrod is yellow, 
The corn is turning brown, 
The trees in apple orchard 
With fruit are bending down." 

Conversation and prayer : 

When the school is reached, the teacher and children di- 
vide the fruit and vegetables — perhaps keeping some for the 
school pets, if there are any, and for a fruit party the next 
time they come together. The prayer at dismissal may thank 
God for the good time of the morning and for the fruit and 
vegetables for the winter. 



LESSON XI 

THE GIFT OF THE HARVEST (Continued) 

Conversation pictures : 

As the children gather about the teacher she may recall their 
excursion by pictures of fruit and vegetables. The pictures 
may show the garden or orchard earlier in the year, at blossom 
time or in the late summer. The children will enjoy the song 
of "The Orchard" : 

"If you go out to the orchard, 

You will find the blossoms fair. 

Some are pink and some are pearly, 

And their fragrance fills the air. 

"If you go out to the orchard, 
You will find the apples sweet. 
Some are red and some are yellow, 
All are very good to eat." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

The children will remember their own garden experiences 
and will tell about the planting, the watering, and the weeding. 
The teacher may ask what the plants need most in order to 
grow and produce the fruit and vegetables. Some of the chil- 
dren will know the necessity of rain and sunshine. 

Prayer: 

Not only the gardener's or farmer's part in the harvest but 
God's part in the giving of rain and sunshine should be stressed. 
The children will gladly join in the prayer : "We thank you, 
dear heavenly Father, for the harvest." 

91 



92 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Story : Farmer Brown and the Apples. 

After a brisk march to the garden (make believe) and back 
again the children may gather for a story: 

Once upon a time there was a good old farmer who had a 
wonderful apple orchard. Every fall he gave a basket of 
apples to each poor woman in the village, and he was always 
passing apples over the fence to the children as they went to 
and fro to school. When he walked in the village his pockets 
were bulging with apples which he doled out to hungry boys, 
to bright-eyed little girls, and even to the old men who sat 
in the sunshine reading their newspapers. 

One fall Farmer Brown, for that was the name of the owner 
of the apple orchard, had the rheumatism so that he could not 
gather his apples or store them in the cellar. He was very 
much worried because he was afraid that a heavy frost would 
come some night and spoil the apple crop. 

"Mirandy," he said to his good wife, "I don't know what 
we'll do without any apples to eat in the long winter evenings 
and I'm sure the children will miss them too." 

"Don't worry," his wife would say. "Perhaps it won't frost 
till you're able to be about." 

Now, there were some boys in the village who had been eat- 
ing Farmer Brown's apples ever since they could toddle. They 
had missed the old man since he had had the rheumatism and 
they knew that he could not get his apples in before frost. They 
planned a little surprise for him and his good wife Mirandy. 
One night when the two were fast asleep, the boys came to the 
orchard, carefully picked the apples until there was not one 
red or yellow beauty left anywhere, packed them in barrels 
and rolled the barrels to Farmer Brown's cellar. All this was 
done so quickly and so quietly that not even the mice in the 
cellar knew nor the old horse in the meadow. 

When Farmer Brown woke in the morning a heavy frost 



THE GIFT OF THE HARVEST 93 

lay on roof and fence and garden. "O, Mirandy," groaned 
Farmer Brown, "our apples are frost bitten sure as I'm 
standin' here!" And without waiting for a reply Farmer 
Brown hobbled out to the orchard, but never an apple could he 
find anywhere. After looking all about he walked slowly 
back to the house with a dazed look on his face. Suddenly his 
eye lighted on the open cellar door. 

"I remember closin' that door the last thing before I went 
in the house for supper," said he aloud. "May be whoever 
took our apples helped themselves to barrels." He went down 
the cellar steps and the moment he stood inside the door 
he saw the barrels of apples, red and yellow beauties, a full 
dozen of them. 

"Mirandy," he called in a trembling voice, "come here quick! 
Who do you suppose has been in our apple orchard and fixed 
up this surprise?" 

"I'm sure I couldn't guess," said Mirandy, as she wiped 
away the tears, "but whoever they be, God bless them. It 
might have been some of them lively boys that you're always 
feedin' apples to. There's no tellin'." 

Song: 

The children may join in singing the song of The Orchard. 

Handwork : 

They will enjoy drawing apples and other fruits, or, if ac- 
customed to using paints, painting them. Crayons and manila 
paper should be used for the drawing, and painting paper and 
paints for the painting. Apples and other fruits may be brought 
into the room where the children are working so that they can 
look at them to get clearer impressions of form and color. 



LESSON XII 

HOME ACTIVITIES 

Along with the changes out of doors there are changes in- 
side to correspond, and the little child is a part of these and 
very much interested in them. He likes to tell what is going 
on at home and the teacher helps him to appreciate better 
father's and mother's part. The child loves them more for 
the benefits received and God more for giving him a father 
and mother. 

Song: 

After the children have greeted one another they may 
sing any of the songs which they have learned. A song 
period is enjoyed either at the beginning or end of the morn- 
ing and should occur frequently; in fact, the children should 
have some opportunity to sing during each class period in 
order that the song may become a permanent possession of the 
child. Little children enjoy the old songs with which they are 
familiar even more than the new ones. Certain songs may be 
dramatized while others lend themselves to a rhythmic re- 
sponse in clapping, tapping, or humming. Sometimes the pian- 
ist may play a few notes in order that the children may guess 
the name of the song. If the children or the pianist do not 
ask for "The Orchard," the teacher may suggest it. The 
song may recall the story of "Farmer Brown" which the 
teacher and children can tell again together. (Story and 
song given in Topic VI, Lesson II.) 

Conversation: 

The teacher may ask the children, if they do not volunteer 

94 



HOME ACTIVITIES 95 

the information, how many of them have barrels or boxes 
of fruit stored away in the basement or pantry for the winter. 
This may lead to a talk about what mother has been doing 
to get ready for the winter, particularly the canning of fruit 
and the making of jelly and jam. The children may tell just 
how this is done; perhaps some of them have been allowed 
to help a little in taking the fruit out of the barrel, washing 
it and taking it off the stems. Other fall preparations may 
have been noted too, such as the storing of the winter's supply 
of coal, putting up the storm windows and bringing out more 
blankets for the beds. 

Excursion: 

If the teacher knows some one of the mothers well enough 
to ask for an invitation, it would mean a great deal to the 
children to call at one of the homes, see the coal in the 
cellar, the storm windows, and the supply of canned fruit. 
Even more interesting would the experience be if the mother 
were making jelly or jam and a few children at a time might 
watch the process. If it is not practicable to visit a home, 
a trip to the school basement may be made and perhaps to 
the domestic science kitchen, where the children may watch 
the older girls canning fruit. In any case a glass of jelly 
may be secured (bought by the children's pennies if that seems 
the best way). 

Handwork: 

After the return to the room the children and the teacher 
may plan a little party of crackers and jelly. They may 
make doilies for each one at the table. Squares of manila 
paper 6 by 6 inches and scissors are given to the children. 
They then proceed to fringe by making narrow cuts 
about three-fourths to one inch wide all around the edge. 
After the fringing if there is time, they may have the crayons 



96 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

and draw a picture of one or more kinds of fruit on the 
doily. 

The Party: 

As soon as the work is finished a few children may be 
chosen to place the doilies on the table. The children may 
take their seats and one or two may help the teachers pass 
the crackers, each one with a small amount of jelly on it. The 
children should be cautioned before the party begins so that 
they will remember to say "Thank you" and to wait until all 
are served and grace is said before beginning the meal. This 
little training in courtesy and self-control is valuable to all, 
but especially to those who lack home instruction. When 
everyone has been served, the teacher may speak of God's 
goodness in providing the food and may repeat very slowly 
the little grace, asking that heads be bowed and hands folded : 

"God is great, 

God is good, 
Let us thank him 
For our food. 

(If too much is suggested here for the time allowed on one 
day, the material may be divided and used for two days. The 
excursion may be taken on one occasion and the party may 
be held on the succeeding day. ) 



LESSON XIII 
HOME ACTIVITIES (Continued) 

Song and conversation: 

If the morning is a frosty one, the children will come in 
with tightly buttoned coats, caps and mittens; in fact, every 
day new winter garments are appearing. The teacher always 
notices these as the children enter, for they are very proud of 
them and want her to share their pleasure. After the chil- 
dren have gathered they may want to sing the "Frost Song," 
and the activity of sliding may be used again. 

The teacher comments on the new winter suits, dresses, 
shoes, or stockings that she sees. Every child will want to 
display what he has and each one may be given a turn to show 
and to tell, going to the cloak room for his new coat, cap, or 
mittens if he wishes. As the children are showing their 
clothing, the teacher may question where the new gar- 
ments came from, how they were made, who gave the money 
to buy them. In response the children will tell that mother 
made them or that they were bought at the store. Some will 
know that money was spent and that father gave the money to 
mother. They all know that they must have the warmer 
clothing because winter is coming. They may feel the differ- 
ence between wool and cotton through touching cotton dresses 
and then woolen coats. The feel of the cloth will help them to 
appreciate the greater warmth of the latter. 

Dramatization : 

If the children are well enough acquainted (they probably 
will be by this time) to take part spontaneously in a drama- 

97 



98 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

tization, they may play house for a little while. There can be 
several families or one or two, according to the number of 
children, and there may be a clothing store with a storekeeper 
in charge. To make the play more realistic some of the caps, 
coats, and mittens may be transferred from the cloakroom to 
the store. The various mothers and fathers may take their 
children to the store and buy for them the winter clothes. 
There will be much bargaining and fitting and altogether a 
great deal of fun. The children will feel even more keenly 
father's and mother's part in making them happy and com- 
fortable. 

Story: The Baby Samuel. 

After the dramatization the children may be told the story 
of the infant Samuel which beautifully reveals a mother's love 
and care. 

Once upon a time there was a woman by name Hannah who 
had everything to make her happy except a little child. She 
wanted a baby of her own so much that often she wept. Her 
husband Elkanah would find her crying and he would say: 
"Hannah, why weepest thou? Am I not better to thee than 
ten sons ?" But Elkanah could not comfort Hannah. 

One day when Hannah was in the church she prayed to God 
to send her a little baby boy, and she said, "Lord, if thou wilt 
remember me and will give unto me a child, I will give him 
unto thee all the days of his life." God heard Hannah's prayer 
and he sent her the baby boy. 

Then, indeed, was Hannah happy, and she wept no more, 
but smiled and sang all day long. Hannah called the baby 
Samuel. When he woke in the morning she fed him ; when he 
slept she covered him carefully ; she bathed him and played with 
him, and when he was hurt she kissed him and comforted him. 

Samuel grew taller and stronger every day. By and by he 




"sing, little children, sing everywhere" 



HOME ACTIVITIES 99 

was a big boy. Then his mother remembered her promise to 
God, and she took him to the church and left him there to help 
Eli keep God's house beautiful. Hannah said: "For this child 
I prayed ; and the Lord hath given him to me. Therefore also I 
have lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth." 

While Samuel was at the church his mother was thinking 
of him. Every year she made him a little coat, and she went 
with Elkanah, her husband, to the church and gave it to Sam- 
uel. Samuel liked the coat that his mother brought him and 
he loved Hannah, his mother. 

Picture : 

The picture of Hannah and Samuel may be shown or "The 
Infant Samuel," by Reynolds. The children may pray : "Dear 
God, thank you for mother and father and for everything 
they do for us." 

Song : Praise Him. ( Songs for the Little Child. ) 

"For rain and sunshine and flowers bright and fair, 
Father and mother who give us loving care — 
Praise him, praise him, praise him, our God, 
Sing, little children, O sing everywhere." 

Handwork : 

If every child had a doll, it would be fun to make coats 
or dresses for them very crudely out of cloth, using large 
needles and coarse thread. In lieu of this each one may be 
given a paper doll cut by the teacher, and he may make a little 
garment for it. A circle may be folded twice by the children, 
a line drawn indicating the sleeve and side of the skirt by the 
teacher and the children may cut on the line. Another line 
may indicate the cutting for the neck. This can be slipped 
over the paper doll's head and will make an attractive dress. 
The dolls may be played with and taken home. This experi- 



ioo THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

ence gives the child again a keener realization of mother's 
and father's care for him. 

Doll's Coat 

7x7 inches 






LESSON XIV 

WHAT A CHILD CAN DO TO HELP 

Even the little child likes to help, especially when he is in the 
loving mood. Such help should be welcomed and encouraged. 
The suggestions from the teacher are often acted upon later. 
Doing these little things in the home and for his pets is the 
small beginning of real service. 

Picture study: 

Pictures may be brought by the teacher showing the mother 
at work in the home and the child helping both outside and 
inside. These pictures will suggest such comments as, "I wipe 
the dishes," "Mother let me set the table," "I went to the 
grocery for some sugar," "The baby kept throwing his toys 
for me to pick up." The teacher can show the children how 
much they can help mother by doing these things when she 
is busy with the cooking and the sewing for them. 

Dramatization : 

The teacher and the children may play a little game of 
helping which the children will greatly enjoy. The teacher 
may represent the mother whose children are playing; she 
calls first one and then another. When the child comes the 
mother gives him some errand to do for her such as getting 
her a pair of scissors, putting away the paste, giving the 
flowers more water, or taking the doll who represents the baby 
for an airing. It will make the game more fun if sometimes 
the mother whispers her wishes ; she watches to see what child 
will do his errand best. The mother never fails to thank her 

IOI 



102 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

children and to praise them for work well done. This game 
is play, but nevertheless it sets a standard for prompt obedience, 
ready helpfulness, and careful performance. 

Story time: 

The story of the infant Samuel may be retold and the pic- 
ture used again. Perhaps the story will remind the children 
of the baby Moses and one or more will tell that story. A 
lullaby may be sung. Then the children may thank God for 
mothers and fathers and ask him to make them good helpers 
at home. 

Handwork : 

If there is time, a small picture of "The Infant Samuel" 
may be given to each child. The children may paste these on 
cards to take home. 



LESSON XV 

WHAT A CHILD CAN DO TO HELP (Continued) 

The greeting song, "Good Morning," may include a further 
step when the children are ready for it. The two who bow 
and shake hands may skip about the room together while the 
music of the song is repeated as a little dance refrain. 

Conversation: 

The new winter garments which are appearing on some of 
the children almost every day will introduce again the topic 
of winter preparation in the home. The children will re- 
member the talk of the last lesson and will volunteer more 
about the ways in which they have been helping at home. 
If they do not, the teacher may ask a question which will 
bring forth a further response along this line. She is trying 
to get a habit of helpfulness started in the home, and the 
standard set by her as well as her appreciation will have its 
effect upon the children. If the children want to play the 
game of errand, used at the last period, it should, of course, 
be revived. 

Game: 

Another game which the children will much enjoy is an 
old singing game in which the child in the center of the ring 
takes the part of one of the members of the family, imitating 
an activity that he has seen carried on. The other children 
follow him after he has imitated the activity. The words 
are : 

103 



104 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"Did you ever see a lassie, a lassie, a lassie, 
Did you ever see a lassie do this way and that? 
Do this way and that way, do this way and that way, 
Did you ever see a lassie do this way and that?" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

"Laddie," "mother," or "father" may be substituted for the 
word "lassie" and the characteristic activity shown. The mo- 
tion for mother sweeping the floor, stirring the cake, dusting 
the furniture may be imitated, while father may be reading 
the paper, driving a nail, or starting the automobile. This 
little game gives the necessary physical relaxation and it also 
makes the child realize more clearly father's and mother's 
part in the home. 

Story: Take Good Care of Mother. 

If a story is wanted, the following real incident may be 
used: 

One day a father, a mother, and a little girl of five were 
riding downtown together on the street car. The father held 
a big box on his knee and the three were talking together. 
Whenever they passed anything that the father thought the 
little girl would like to see, he would say, "Look quick, Mar- 
jorie; see that nice garden," or, "There's one of the new auto 
buses. How would you like to ride on the top of that?" or, 
"We are coming to the river. Maybe you will see a boat." 

By and by the street cars came to the part of the city where 
there were many high buildings, a great deal of noise, and 
crowds of people walking very fast. 

Then father said : "Mother, I wish I could go with you, but 
I have to be at my office this morning, you know. I don't quite 
see how you will get through the crowd with your suitcase 
and' this big box." 

Then Marjorie spoke, "I can carry the box, father." 



WHAT A CHILD CAN DO TO HELP 105 

"Well, well," said father, "I believe you can. Here it is!" 
Just then the conductor called father's street, father kissed 

mother and Marjorie, and he said to Marjorie, "Remember! 

Take good care of mother!" And Marjorie did. 

Song: 

The incident about Marjorie will bring forth confidences 
about the fathers who go to work every day, where they go 
and what they do. The following song may be sung : 

"When my father goes away, 
Says he, 'Little brother, 
You must fill my place to-day, 
Take good care of mother.' " 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Prayer: 

Dear God, help me to take good care of mother, and thank 
you for father. 

Handwork : 

The child's love for his parents aroused at this time should 
be given some further expression. The teacher may suggest 
making a gift for mother which will help her. Perhaps a 
holder could be made. Two circles 6 by 6 inches may be cut 
from cloth by the teacher; they may be fitted together by the 
children, a piece of padding having been put between. Two 
or three basting stitches will hold them, and the children 
may overcast the edge, using coarse needles and thread. A 
little brass ring may be sewed on each holder by which to 
hang it. Great will be the joy of the children in this little 
gift. (A word from the teacher to the mother will help to 
make the mother's appreciation more evident to the child. 
Some mothers do not realize the extent of a child's effort nor 
the encouragement which approval brings him.) 



LESSON XVI 

THANKSGIVING IS COMING 

Before the child is ready to express thanksgiving, the 
teacher must give him a chance to share with her and the 
other children his anticipated joys. Then he reverently thanks 
God for them all. 

Conversation: 

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving the children always 
come brimming with anticipations of the festival. Before they 
are ready to express thanksgiving they must have the oppor- 
tunity to share with the teacher and each other the joys that are 
in store. They will tell about the contemplated visit to grand- 
mother's house or about the relatives who are to spend the 
holiday with them. They will have much to say about what 
they expect to have for Thanksgiving dinner, principally turkey 
or chicken, and great will be their happiness in contemplating 
the fun of it all. 

Rhythm: 

This joyous mood can best be expressed through a gay 
skip in which the arms are free and the whole body responds 
to the rhythm. 

Song: 

The teacher may put the Thanksgiving Day experience in 
poetry for them by singing, as many times as they may wish to 
hear it, the following song : 

1 06 



THANKSGIVING IS COMING 107 

Glad Thanksgiving Day: 

"On glad Thanksgiving Day 
The children will be gay. 
We like the dinner of turkey and spice; 
We like the candies and nuts and ice, 
And then we like to play 
On glad Thanksgiving Day." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Prayer : 

When the children are glad, they will quickly turn to God 
to express their gratitude if the suggestion is made to them. 
This beautiful prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson may be intro- 
duced : 

"Thanks to our Father we will bring, 
For he gives us everything." 

Handwork : 

The children may have crayon and paper, drawing any 
part of the Thanksgiving plans which they care to illustrate. 
It may be grandmother's house, the turkey, the apples, the 
pie, or grandfather himself. If it seems more desirable, clay 
may be given (a small piece to each child) and he may make 
pies, cakes, fruit, vegetables as he chooses. Once again the 
Thanksgiving experience is lived through the imagination. 



LESSON XVII 

THANKSGIVING IS COMING (Continued) 
« 
Song: 

The children may wish to recall the happy anticipations by 
asking the teacher to sing again the Thanksgiving Day song. 
Once more the gay skip, with possibly the clapoing of the hands 
added, will express the mood best. 

Pictures: 

Pictures of typical home Thanksgiving scenes brought 
in by the teacher will interest the children greatly and will 
suggest more experiences of their own. When the time is 
right for prayer, the children may repeat the prayer used the 
previous day : 

"Thanks to our Father we will bring, 
For he gives us everything." 

Story : The Thanksgiving Surprise. 

The following realistic story will be appreciated by the chil- 
dren, and will make them more conscious of this beautiful 
home love. 

A week before Thanksgiving, Mother and Father Mason 
had received a letter from Grandfather Mason, who lived on 
a farm. It said : "Don't buy a turkey for Thanksgiving, as 
Grandmother and I will be in from the farm bright and early 
that morning. We have the finest turkey in the land picked out 
for you, and we have him fattening in the corn pen right 
now !" 

108 



THANKSGIVING IS COMING 109 

Grandfather was always as good as his word. Bright and 
early on Thanksgiving morning he drove up to the door of 
Father Mason's house in town. Father and Mother Mason 
were watching for him, and so were the children. In fact, 
Bob and Helen were waiting at the driveway, waving their 
hands and jumping up and down with joy. Bob helped Grand- 
mother out of the automobile and took her bag for her, while 
Helen waited until Grandfather had pulled a big box from 
under the seat. It was so heavy that Father had to help carry 
it into the house. 

The whole family gathered around Mother as she took the 
lid from the box. 

"Let the children guess," said Grandfather. 

"I guess a turkey," cried Bob. 

"Right," said Grandfather, "the first pop out of the box!" 

Bob had the pleasure of lifting the big fellow. He weighed 
all of fifteen pounds and not a bone could be seen. 

"Now," said Grandfather, "it's Helen's turn." 

Helen put her nose close to the box. "Apples !" she shouted, 
and, sure enough, there they were — round and rosy and sweet, 
a whole sack of them. 

"I think it's my turn," said Father; and he began to shake 
a brown paper bag with something that rattled inside. "You 
can't fool me," said Father. "Those are the hazelnuts that 
grow in the back woods lot. I remember gathering them after 
the first heavy frost when I wasn't as big as you are, Bob." 

"There is one package left," said Grandmother. "I wonder 
if your mother can tell what is in it." 

"Indeed, I can," Mother said. "Your grandmother never 
yet failed to bring me some eggs for the Thanksgiving cake." 

Mother was right ; there were the eggs in the package — two 
dozen of them. Helen counted twice to make sure. 

Then Grandmother dressed the turkey, Helen washed the 
apples, Father cracked the nuts, Bob beat the eggs for the cake 



no THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

that Mother was getting ready to bake, and dear old Grand- 
father sat by the fire and told stories ! 

Dramatization : 

The children may wish to play "visit." Perhaps they will be 
ready to follow the plot of the story — Grandfather and Grand- 
mother may arrive in the automobile at the Mason house. 
A box with a few improvised packages may furnish the stimu- 
lus for the little guessing game. The dialogue will be very 
much abbreviated as the articles are taken from the box; 
the activity in finding will be the principal charm to the chil- 
dren. A real apple, tgg, and some nuts will add greatly to the 
fun of the play. 

Sand table : 

Grandfather's farm may be suggested in the sand table: 
the house and barn may be made of sand, sticks may be used 
for the fences, and twigs to represent the trees. The road to 
the town may be indicated and the town itself by a few sand 
houses of which Father Mason's is one. Any descriptive de- 
tails that the children suggest may be added. 



LESSON XVIII 

WHAT THANKSGIVING REALLY MEANS 

A little child is very sympathetic when he realizes the need 
of another little child. He gladly shares with that other little 
child, and again the concrete chance to help in his small way 
starts a habit of service. 

Excursion : 

The windows of the grocery and fruit stores are always 
very beautiful before Thanksgiving with the many bright- 
colored fruits and vegetables. Sometimes one or more live 
turkeys and some stacks of corn add to the picture. In order 
that the child's realization of the reason for gratitude at this 
time may be more keen, it is well to take an excursion 
to the stores and enjoy the windows. The children should 
have the opportunity to gaze until they are satisfied and the 
teacher should point out such detail as they may fail to see. 

Conversation and drawing: 

After the return the children may draw on the blackboard 
or on paper as many of the fruits and vegetables as they recall. 
They may be reminded of where these foods come from, and 
may talk of the work of the gardener or the farmer and of 
God's gift of the rain and the sunshine which made possible 
the harvest. 

Song: 

The song may be sung to the children : 

"The world is so full of a number of things 
I am sure we should all be as happy as kings." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Ill 



ii2 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

The children will enjoy enumerating many things which 
make us as happy as kings ; fruit, vegetables, turkeys, flowers, 
birds, the sunshine, fathers and mothers — a never-ending list. 

Prayer : 

Again the prayer of Stevenson's may be used, 

"Thanks to our Father we will bring, 
For he gives us everything." 

(If it is not possible to pay a visit to the store, the gift of 
the harvest may be recalled by pictures. The story of the 
Thanksgiving box may be retold. ) 



LESSON XIX 

WHAT THANKSGIVING REALLY MEANS (Con- 
tinued) 

Conversation : 

The teacher may talk with the children about Thanksgiv- 
ing. They recall together the visit to the store and what 
they saw there. Then when the sense of gratitude for 
the harvest has been aroused she may tell them very simply 
why there is a Thanksgiving festival. It is because everyone 
is glad for the harvest. Whether or not people go to the 
church to thank God on that day, they do thank him in their 
hearts. 

Song: 

''The world is so full of a number of things 
I am sure we should all be as happy as kings." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

This song may be sung several times ; it is so simple that 
many of the children will wish to sing it alone. "Praise Him !" 
may also be sung as the children are stirred with the thought 
of God's goodness shown by the gift of the many things that 
make us "happy as kings." 

Story period : 

After a few minutes of activity, perhaps a skip, the children 
gather for a story. The teacher may tell them the fol- 
lowing experience of a kindergarten, in order that they may 
realize the need of other little children : 

In a building not far away many little children live together. 

113 



ii4 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

There are Bennie and Joe and Mary and many more. Some 
are big, some are little, and some are wee babies. They have 
no fathers or mothers, and so they live in the building to- 
gether and some good women take care of them. There are 
more children than any of your mothers have, and it takes 
much food and many clothes to go around. The good women 
have to work all the time taking care of the children, and they 
haven't enough money to buy what is needed to make them 
comfortable. 

Near the Orphanage — for that is what we call the build- 
ing — there is a kindergarten. Last year the children in that 
kindergarten wanted to give the children in the Orphanage a 
Thanksgiving dinner. Some of them brought fruit, some 
brought vegetables, and some brought money for the turkey. 

They packed their food in a wagon; boxes of potatoes, 
celery, cranberries, and cabbage; baskets of oranges, bananas, 
apples, and grapes; glasses of jelly, candy, and — best of all — 
a big golden pumpkin and a turkey. The expressman drove 
toward the Orphanage, and the children waved as long as they 
could see his wagon. 

When he reached the Orphanage and told the good women 
what he had brought, they called their children. Oh, how they 
shouted and danced as they found the things in the wagon, and 
what fun they had eating that Thanksgiving dinner! 

After the story many pictures may be shown of the Orphan- 
age and the children. If an Orphanage is not the desirable re- 
cipient for the Thanksgiving gift, some other children may be 
chosen and the information about their need given in simple 
narrative form. This account will give understanding and 
awaken sympathy and a desire to help. 

Conversation : 

After the story if the children do not themselves ask to 



WHAT THANKSGIVING REALLY MEANS 115 

send these little children a gift, the teacher may suggest the 
possibility. The generosity of the child when his sympathies 
have been aroused is spontaneous and very happy. 

Handwork : 

The teacher may write a letter to each mother telling of the 
plan of the Thanksgiving gift, and each child may draw a 
picture to take to mother showing her what he would like to 
bring for the orphan children. The gifts may be brought on 
the day before Thanksgiving. 



LESSON XX 

THE THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL 

The Thanksgiving festival is the climax of the fall prepara- 
tion. The children arrive with their arms full of gifts and 
their hearts full of love and joy. The processional serves the 
purpose of expressing the happy mood and of giving all an 
opportunity to enjoy the gift. After it has been packed and 
sent with a note of greeting, the teacher may tell the Thanks- 
giving story which may be followed by the prayer of gratitude. 

Processional : 

When the children come with their gifts for the other little 
children, they are very happy and want everybody to know and 
appreciate what they have brought. The teacher should make 
each child feel her interest and happiness in his gift. In some 
schools little baskets and boxes such as those in which fruit 
is sold are provided so that the children may unwrap their 
offerings and display them. When all the children have ar- 
rived a processional with each child carrying his own offering 
may be formed. In and out the room the children will gladly 
march. (The music used by the pianist should be joyful and 
yet with dignity befitting the occasion. ) 

Conversation: 

After the processional the children may pack the offering 
in bigger boxes, and then, gathering about the teacher, may 
dictate a note which she can write to send with the gift. 

"Tell the children that these things are for their dinner," 
one child will suggest. 

"Say that we are sending some bananas," and "Some pears," 

116 



THE THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL 117 

and "Some oranges," and "A turkey," will follow in quick 
succession from others. When the note is satisfactorily com- 
posed and read over two or three times, the children may, if 
the weather permits, help the expressman to carry out the 
boxes and pack them in the wagon. They will enjoy waving 
to him as long as they can catch a glimpse of the departing 
wagon. If possible, the teacher can arrange to have the su- 
perintendent of the Orphanage or the one in charge wherever 
the gift is sent, telephone the children a little message of thanks. 
The sooner this message is received the more it will mean to 
the children, as they are very eager for an immediate expres- 
sion of gratitude. In any event the teacher can have a letter 
sent later. The pleasure of the recipient of the gift will be the 
chief incentive in making the children want to give again. 

Song: 

After the excitement of sending the gift, the children 
will find the best expression for their happiness in song. They 
may sing any of the songs that they have used in the fall 
months, but the ones which will mean most at this time will 
probably be "The world is so full of a number of things" 
and "Praise Him !" 

Story: The Angelus. 

The teacher may show the children the picture of "The 
Angelus," by Millet. It is without doubt in its simple rever- 
ence and gratitude for the harvest our most beautiful Thanks- 
giving picture. Its message is perfectly within the compre- 
hension of the little child. Many stories have been told about 
this picture. The following narrative may be used if desired : 

A father and a mother were out in the field in the fall of 
the year digging potatoes. They pulled up the potato vines 
and then they hunted in the ground until they had found every 
potato there. They had great sacks in which they dropped the 



n8 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

potatoes and a wheelbarrow on which to trundle the sacks 
from vine to vine. As they worked the sun traveled across 
the sky and began to sink in the west. The clouds were red 
and gold and violet. The sheep followed the shepherd home 
to the fold; you could hear their tinkling bells. Even the 
birds were winging their way to the nest. Still the father and 
mother worked without ceasing. 

Then in the stillness at the close of the day, the bell in the 
church on the hill began to ring, "Bim Bom, Bim Bom, Bim, 
Bom, Bom!" At the first note, the father took off his hat, 
bowed his head and thought about his good wife, his dear 
little children at home, and the potatoes which would feed them 
through the winter. "Thank you, God," he said. The mother 
also bowed her head and folded her hands ; and as she thought 
of the children waiting for her, of the strong father by her 
side, and of the potatoes for their dinner many nights, she 
too said, "Thank you, God !" 

When the bell stopped ringing and all was silent again, the 
father and the mother started home with wheelbarrow and 
basket and spade. By and by they spied their little house and 
at the door were their children watching and waiting for them. 
"Oh," said the children, "we'll have potatoes for dinner to- 
night," and they did. 

Prayer : 

The children will want to look long at the picture after the 
telling of the story and then to say very reverently, as did the 
father and the mother, "Thank you, God." 

Handwork : 

Each child is given a picture of "The Angelus" to mount 
on a brown card and take home. 

(In the telling of the story if the sound of the bell is in- 
toned, it will add to the effectiveness of the story.) 



WINTER 



LESSON XXI 

GOD'S GREATEST GIFT 

The material here is sufficient for two weeks, and as De- 
cember sometimes contains three and sometimes four school 
weeks, it can be extended when time permits. There is no 
story more lovely for the child at this age than the coming 
of the baby Jesus. It is the aim here to bring all babies nearer 
to the child, thinking of each one as a gift from God. The 
child's love goes out to God and to the Christ-child. 

Song and rhythm : 

If it is cold — and it is likely to be at this season of the year — 
the children may sing "The Frost Song" and may play skating 
or sliding. (The music for a glide is to be used.) If it is very 
cold, the children will enjoy clapping the hands and stamping 
the feet in order to warm them. If it has snowed, the whirling 
snowflakes can be imitated as the children skim lightly on the 
tips of their toes, now and then whirling about, and at last 
sinking quietly to the floor. (The music "Floating like a 
Feather" in the Crawford Rhythms may be used by the 
pianist.) 

Conversation : 

The children will want to tell about their Thanksgiving 
experiences, and it means much pleasure to recall these and to 
share them with one another. The teacher is interested in 
each contribution; as her own she may tell of a visit to the 
Orphanage or the Home where the children's Thanksgiv- 
ing gift was given. She may tell how it was received and 

121 



122 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

may bring the messages from the other little children. As 
the children recall their experience they may want to sing 
the Thanksgiving songs and perhaps to dramatize some part 
of the experience, such as going on the train to Grandmother's 
house or playing one of the games that was enjoyed. 

Story: The Annunciation. 

After some activity, the teacher may gather the children 
about her and tell them the first of the stories of the birth 
of the Christ-child, the lovely account of the Annunciation. 
She can create the atmosphere for the story by recalling 
some incident about the baby in the home of one of the chil- 
dren or by presenting the name of some little baby recently 
arrived in one of the families. 

Once upon a time, there was a young woman, Mary, who 
was praying in her garden in the evening as were the father 
and mother in the field. As Mary prayed she heard a sound, 
and looking up she saw a lovely angel. The angel was kind 
to Mary when he saw that she was frightened. "Fear not, 
Mary," he said. "Blessed art thou among women. The Lord 
is with thee." 

Then the angel told Mary a wonderful secret. He told 
her that God would send to her the little Lord Jesus and she 
would be his mother. Mary could not believe what she heard, 
but she knew the angel would not deceive her. "Be it unto 
me even according to thy word," she said. 

The angel returned to God who had sent him and Mary 
remembered what he had said. There was a song in her heart 
while she began to get ready for the little Lord Jesus. She 
asked God every day to help her to take good care of the baby 
when he should come. 

Picture : 

After the story the picture of "The Annunciation," by 



GOD'S GREATEST GIFT 123 

Murilio, may be shown to the children and the music of "Silent 
Night" may be played on the piano very softly while the chil- 
dren look. 

Handwork : 

The children may begin a little book of the pictures con- 
nected with the story of the birth of the Christ-child, by 
cutting out and mounting the one of "The Annunciation." 
As they do so the teacher may lead them to talk about their 
babies, and she may recall the story just told of the com- 
ing of the little Lord Jesus. At this time the child would not 
understand any references to the mission of Jesus or the ex- 
planation of his divinity. The simple account of his birth told 
with the utmost reverence will make a deep impression on the 
children and will set him apart from all other babies. 



LESSON XXII 

GOD'S GREATEST GIFT (Continued) 

As the picture of "The Annunciation" is presented to the 
children they will remember the story and tell very simply 
in their own words about the angel and Mary. The teacher 
may retell that part of the story and may then continue : 

Story : The Birth of the Christ-child. 

One day Joseph, Mary's husband, took her on a journey 
to another village, the town of Bethlehem. It was a long 
way from Nazareth where they lived to Bethlehem. Mary 
rode on a donkey, and Joseph walked by her side. They 
were both very tired when they came at evening to Bethlehem. 

There were many other people journeying to Bethlehem, so 
that every place in the inn or hotel was taken. When the inn- 
keeper told Joseph that he had no room for them in the inn, 
Joseph said, "Where shall I take Mary to-night?" The inn- 
keeper told him that they could spend the night in the stable 
where the sheep, the oxen, and the donkeys were. 

Joseph made a bed for Mary on the hay, and there they 
rested. That very night God sent to Mary the little Lord Jesus, 
and all the stable was filled with the glory of his coming. 

Mary wrapped him round and round in a long piece of 
cloth called swaddling clothes, and because she had no crib 
for him she laid him in the manger, the wooden box, from 
which the sheep, the oxen and the donkeys ate their hay. Do 
you not think they were surprised when they saw the little 
Lord Jesus there ! 

124 



GOD'S GREATEST GIFT 125 

Picture : 

"The Arrival of the Shepherds," by Le Rolle, may be 
shown following the story, no special attention being given 
to the shepherds. Any other good picture of the Nativity 
may be substituted. This one by Le Rolle presents a strong 
appeal because of the mystery suggested in the setting. 
The dim rafters of the stable, the animals, the father and 
mother and the tiny spot of radiance representing the baby, 
give it an unequaled interest to the children. 

Song: 

There is no more beautiful song than Luther's "Cradle 
Hymn," which will be immediately understood and appreciated 
if sung to the children at this time : 

"Away in a manger, 

No crib for a bed, 
The little Lord Jesus 

Lay down his sweet head. 
The stars in the heavens 

Looked down where he lay, 
The little Lord Jesus 

Asleep on the hay." 

This may be sung several times to the children and the 
words repeated apart from the music. 

Handwork : 

The book of pictures may be continued by letting the chil- 
dren cut out a copy of "The Arrival of the Shepherds," by 
Le Rolle, and paste it in the book. The two pictures may be ex- 
amined further and the teacher may sing the "Cradle Hymn" 
over several times with the children. 



LESSON XXIII 

GOD'S GREATEST GIFT (Continued) 

As was suggested in the last period, after the children have 
engaged in some activity, the pictures may be used to recall 
the story. As the teacher retells the story the children may be 
encouraged to tell it with her. Then the teacher may con- 
tinue : 

Story: The Shepherds. 

On the same night when the little Lord Jesus was born 
there were in the fields shepherds abiding, keeping watch 
over their flocks. These shepherds were men with clothing 
made of the skins of wild animals, and their faces were bronzed 
by the wind and the sun. They were very careful of the sheep 
and very tender of the little lambs. 

One shepherd watched while the others slept, lest a lion 
or a bear might creep upon the flock and carry off a lamb. 
Suddenly as he watched he saw a bright light in the sky and he 
called the other shepherds to wake and see. The light grew 
bright as day and the glory of the Lord shone round about the 
shepherds. They were sore afraid and fell upon their faces. 

Then an angel began to sing to them. It was the same 
angel who had told Mary of the coming of the little Lord 
Jesus. "Fear not," he said, "for, behold, I bring unto you good 
tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you 
is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is 
Christ the Lord. And this shall be for a sign unto you: Ye 
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a 
manger." 

Suddenly there was with the angel a great multitude of 

126 



GOD'S GREATEST GIFT 127 

angels praising God and saying, "Glory be to God in the high- 
est, and on earth peace, good will toward men." As the shep- 
herds listened the angels floated away and very softly they 
could be heard singing, "Glory be to God in the highest, and 
on earth peace, good will toward men." 

When all was still the shepherds began to speak. "The 
angel said that Christ the Lord is born !" said one. 

"Yes," said another, "and he told us that we should find 
him wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." 

"Let us go to see him !" they cried. 

And down the hill to the little town of Bethlehem they went. 
In the stable they found the little Lord Jesus with Mary and 
Joseph. They thanked God for sending the Babe as they fell 
on their knees about him. 

They went back to. their sheep, telling all whom they met 
that they had seen the Christ-child. 

Picture : 

While the music of "Silent Night" is played, the children 
may study the picture, "Apparition to the Shepherds," by 
Plockhorst. They may see again "The Arrival of the Shep- 
herds," by Le Rolle, this time looking for the shepherds in 
the picture. 

Song: 

The "Cradle Hymn," by Luther, may be sung softly and the 
second verse added : 

"The cattle are lowing, 

The baby awakes, 
But little Lord Jesus 

No crying he makes. 
I love thee, Lord Jesus, 

Look down from the sky, 
And stay by my cradle 

Till morning is nigh." 



128 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Prayer: 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for sending the little 
Lord Jesus. 

Handwork : 

The book of pictures may be continued by adding the 
new one, "The Apparition of the Shepherds." 



LESSON XXIV 
GOD'S GREATEST GIFT (Concluded) 

Picture study and conversation: 

The children may study the three pictures, telling a story 
about each one. They may sing the "Cradle Hymn" over and 
over. Then the teacher may question about the babies at home 
and speak of God's love in sending each one. The story of 
the Christ-child will make every little baby seem more precious. 
A new picture, the most childlike of the group, may be shown 
at this time — Raphael's "Madonna of the Chair." Here Mary, 
Jesus, and an older child are seen. 

Story: 

If there is time the teacher may retell the complete story or 
at least the part about the shepherds. At the close one verse 
of "Silent Night," may be sung: 

"Silent night, holy night, 
All is calm, all is bright 
Round yon Virgin, mother and child ; 
Holy Infant so tender and mild, 
Sleep in heavenly .peace, 
Sleep in heavenly peace." 

Verse : This beautiful "Christmas Song" may be repeated 
from time to time until it is really the possession of each child : 

"Why do bells for Christmas ring? 
Why do little children sing? 

"Once a lovely, shining star, 
Seen by shepherds from afar, 
Gently moved until its light 
Made a manger-cradle bright. 

129 



130 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"There a darling Baby lay 
Pillowed soft upon the hay. 
And his mother sang and smiled, 
'This is Christ, the holy child.' 

"So the bells for Christmas ring; 
So the little children sing." 

(Lydia Avery Coonley Ward.) 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank thee for the little Lord 
Jesus and for every little baby. 

Handwork: 

The book may be finished by putting in the new picture, 
"The Madonna of the Chair." The children can now take the 
book home and tell the story to mother and father. 



LESSON XXV 
THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS 

As Christmas approaches the little child is filled with joy, 
for he anticipates the surprises in store for him. Many little 
children believe in Santa Claus, having been taught by their 
parents to ascribe to him the Christmas gifts. Santa Claus 
is but a symbolic figure representing the spirit of giving 
abroad in the land at the Christmas season ; every country has 
some symbol to convey this meaning to its children. The 
danger of deception in the use of this symbol has been in its 
too literal interpretation and in the commercializing that has 
dragged Santa in rags and tatters about our streets and depart- 
ment stores. Treated as a mysterious figure never seen by 
mortal eye, the child will in time interpret the symbol for him- 
self as he does the fairy, the giant, and the witch. The child 
should have the opportunity of telling to the teacher and the 
children what he hopes to receive, for the big "emotional 
thrill" at this age is in receiving. 

Next to the pleasure in getting comes the joy of making 
surprises for mother and father. These little gifts may be 
very simple handwork in connection with the lessons. The 
child will be glad to remember the other children in orphanage 
and mission, and to share his toys with them. He likes to think 
that he is helping Santa Claus. 

Rhythm: 

The children will express the mood of joy best through 
a skip, as has been suggested before. The music of "The 
Happiest Skip" in the Crawford Rhythms is well selected to 

131 



132 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

express this joy. Lightly on the tips of their toes they may 
skip, clapping the hands sometimes and stopping to whirl about. 

Conversation : 

In connection with the planning for Christmas the Christ- 
mas tree may be mentioned and the teacher may suggest trim- 
ming one for the mothers and fathers. The children may 
talk about all the trimmings that they would like for it : a 
star at the top, tinsel, lights, chains. 

Song: 

The song of the Christmas Tree may be sung : 

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, 
How beauteous are your branches! 

Your silver cobwebs glisten bright 

In lovely glow of candle light. 

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, 
How beauteous are your branches ! 

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, 

How laden are your branches ! 

High at your top a radiant star 

Bids all to come where wonders are. 

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, 

How laden are your branches !" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

The teacher may use either of these verses that she prefers, 
or, if there is time, she may use both. 

Handwork : 

The children will enjoy making at least one of the tree 
decorations. Almost every child knows how to make paper 
chains. Strips of gold, silver, or red paper, or a combination 
of gold and red, may be given the children. With a little 



THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS 133 

paste these will be readily transformed into chains. Several 
children will like to join their chains to make a longer chain. 

Pictures and songs : 

At the close of the morning the children will enjoy gathering 
about the teacher for a quiet study of the Christ-child pictures 
and a retelling of the wonderful story. They can then sing 
Luther's "Cradle Hymn" and "Silent Night." 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for Christmas and 
everything that it brings to make us happy. 



LESSON XXVI 
THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS (Continued) 

Song: 

As the conversation reverts to the Christmas tree the song 
of the Christmas Tree may be sung again, and the Norwegian 
legend of "The Christmas Spruce Tree," by Anna Von 
Rydingsvard, told to the children. 

Story: The Christmas Spruce Tree. 

Among the tall trees in the forest grew a little spruce tree. 
It was no taller than a man, and that is very short for a tree. 

She liked to listen when the other trees were talking, but 
it often made her sad. 

"I am king of the forest," said the oak. "Look at my huge 
trunk and my branches. How they reach up toward heaven! 
I furnish planks for men from which they build their ships. 
Then I defy the storm on the ocean as I do the thunder in the 
forest." 

"And I go with you over the foaming waves," said the tall 
straight pine. "I hold up the flapping sails when the ships fly 
over the ocean." 

"And we warm the houses when winter comes and the cold 
north wind drives the snow before him," said the birches. 

"We have the same work to do," said a tall fir tree, and 
she bowed gracefully, drooping her branches toward the 
ground. 

The little spruce tree heard the other trees talking about 
their work in the world. This made her sad, and she thought, 
"What work can I do? What will become of me?" 

134 




o 

H 



W 



w 



THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS 135 

But she could not think of any way in which she could be 
useful. She decided to ask the other trees in the forest. So 
she asked the oak, the pine, and the fir, but they were so proud 
and stately they did not even hear her. 

Then she asked the beautiful white birch that stood near by. 
"You have no work to do," said the birch, "because you can 
never grow large enough. Perhaps you might be a Christmas 
tree, but that is all." 

"What is a Christmas tree?" asked the little spruce. 

"I do not know exactly," replied the birch. "Sometimes 
when the days are short and cold, and the ground is covered 
with snow, men come out here into the forest. They look at 
all the little spruce trees and choose the prettiest, saying, 'This 
will do for a Christmas tree.' Then they chop it down and 
carry it away. What they do with it I cannot tell." 

The little spruce asked the rabbit that hopped over the snow, 
and the owls that slept in the pines, and the squirrels that came 
to find nuts and acorns. But no one knew more than the birch 
tree. No one could tell what men did with the Christmas trees. 

Then the little spruce tree wept because she had no work to 
do and could not be of any use in the world. The tears 
hardened into clear, round drops, which we call gum. 

At last a boy came into the forest with an ax in his hand. He 
looked the little tree all over. "Perhaps this will do for a 
Christmas tree," he said. So he chopped it down, laid it on 
a sled, and dragged it home. 

The next day the boy sold the tree, and it was taken into 
a large room and dressed up with popcorn and gilded nuts 
and candles. Packages of all sizes and shapes, and tiny bags 
filled with candy, were tied on its branches. 

The tree was trembling with excitement, but she stood as 
still as she could. "What if I should drop some of this fruit," 
she thought. 

When it began to grow dark, every one left the room and 



136 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

the tree was alone. It began to feel lonely and to think sad 
thoughts. 

Soon the door opened and a lady came in. She lighted all 
the candles. How light and glowing it was then! The tree 
had never even dreamed of anything so beautiful! 

Then the children came and danced about the tree, singing 
a Christmas song. The father played on his violin, and the 
baby sat in her mother's arms, smiling and cooing. 

"Now I know what I was made for," thought the spruce 
tree; "I was intended to give joy to the little ones, because I, 
myself, am so small and humble." 

Activity : 

The children may choose some child to represent the little 
spruce tree and all of them may take hands and dance about 
it, singing at the close their song of the Christmas Tree. 

Handwork : 

The teacher and the children may plan a little gift for 
father and mother as a surprise when they come to the 
Christmas tree. The teacher may have several of the pictures 
of the Nativity and may let each child choose one to mount 
for mother and another for father. If these are secured in 
the sepia and mounted on brown cards, they will be very 
lovely. The children can be inspired to take more than 
usual care in cutting out the pictures and in mounting them. 
After the pictures are finished, a little card may be written 
for each one at the dictation of the children and the little gift 
may be wrapped in tissue paper and tied with cord. The chil- 
dren will be radiant in planning this surprise. 

Conversation : 

The teacher may recall the gift of the dinner to the children 
at the Orphanage and may ask what could be done for them 



THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS 137 

at Christmas. Another dinner, clothing, and toys may be 
suggested. The teacher may guide the selection to whatever 
is most needed; perhaps it will be the toys. She may give 
the children notes to take home to the mothers telling them 
of the plan. 

Song: 

The morning may close with the singing of the Christmas 
hymns and the prayer : 

Father in heaven, we thank you for Christmas and the 
Christ-child. Help us to make our fathers and mothers and 
the little orphan children happy. 



LESSON XXVII 

THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 

The Christmas festival, like the one at Thanksgiving, should 
be the climax of the Christmas preparation, when through 
song and rhythm, through the giving and the packing of his 
little presents, he expresses his overflowing happiness. The 
love for the Christ-child in one of the beautiful stories which 
cluster about the Nativity should be included. The child's 
prayer is one of sincere gratitude. 

Preparation : 

The fathers and mothers may be invited for later in the 
morning. When the children first come they may show to 
the teacher and to each other their gifts for the children at 
the Orphanage. Each child may put his own gift in the big 
box and a Christmas card with a message dictated by the 
children may be placed on the top of the box. Then the 
lid may be fastened on and the box delivered to the express- 
man when he calls. 

The Christmas tree is brought in and decorated by the chil- 
dren and the teacher, with a silver star at the top, lights among 
the branches, chains and silver glitter. The gifts for father 
and mother may be placed on a table beneath. 

Greeting : 

As the fathers and mothers arrive they may be greeted 
by the children and shown the tree. The "Good Morning" 
song may be sung and the little greeting game may be 
played. 

Song and dance: 

The children will show the beautiful Christmas tree to their 

138 



THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 139 

fathers and mothers. The lights may be turned on and the 
children may sing the Christmas Tree song. Then they may 
take hands and dance the "Happiest Skip" about it. Perhaps 
some of the mothers and fathers will come and dance with 
them. 

Story: 

The story of the Birth of the Christ-child may be told 
to the mothers and fathers, or, if preferred, one of the 
following may be substituted : "The Promise," by Maude 
Lindsay, in The Storyteller; "Gretchen," by Maude Lindsay, 
in Mother Stories; "Why the Chimes Rang," by McDonald 
Alden, in Why the Chimes Rang. 

Hymn: 

After the story Luther's "Cradle Hymn" may be sung and 
also "Silent Night." The fathers and mothers may be asked 
to sing "Silent Night" with the children. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father, we thank thee for Christmas and the dear 
Christ-child, for our mothers and fathers, and for everything 
that makes us glad to-day. 

Gifts: 

The children may get their gifts and take them to their 
mothers and fathers. The teacher will call them one at a time 
as she reads the name on each package. 

A small remembrance for each child should be provided by 
the teacher, if it is only a Christmas card. Little children 
should not be expected to give all and receive nothing in re- 
turn. They are entirely satisfied with the tiniest gift if they 
are not forgotten. This gift should come as a glad surprise at 
the end of the festival. 



LESSON XXVIII 

AFTER-CHRISTMAS PLAY 

As the children return after the Christmas holiday much 
time should be spent in greeting each one. There will be new 
winter garments which have been purchased or made in the 
vacation, and there will be much that each child will want to 
tell the teacher before the group come together. When the 
group gathers, the greeting song may be sung and played, and 
the children given ample opportunity to express their happi- 
ness in being back again. 

Conversation : 

This ought to be one of the most delightful conversation 
periods of the year, for all the children will want to hear 
what each one received for Christmas and what he has been 
doing in the holidays. It will require no little self-control 
to secure a hearing for one child at a time. 

"I have a new dolly. She can walk," Marjorie will say. 

"We went to my grandma's for Christmas," will be Mary's 
contribution. 

"I brought my new skates this morning that Santa Claus 
gave me. Do you want to see them?" Bobbie will eagerly 
inquire. 

Activity: 

In order that the conversation may not result in restless- 
ness before all have had a chance to contribute, the teacher 
will encourage dramatic activity from time to time. Mar- 
jorie may show how her dollie walks, and all the children 

140 



AFTER-CHRISTMAS PLAY 141 

may walk like dollies. Bobbie may get his skates and show 
them; then all the children may play skating by gliding over 
the floor as they have done before. 

Song: 

Some one will be sure to tell about the home Christmas tree, 
and then the children will recall the Christmas Tree song. 

If they wish, they may play that they have a Christmas tree 
and may make a ring about it and dance. The other Christ- 
mas songs, Luther's "Cradle Hymn,' 1 and "Silent Night," will 
be asked for too, and the beautiful pictures looked over once 
again. This recall not only gives the children joy but it 
is a means of bringing them together again and of enabling 
them to share their individual interests. 

Prayer : 

The prayer should be one of sincere gratitude for all the 
joys of Christmas. Perhaps the teacher may suggest that 
the children tell her what they would like to thank God for 
and they will say for "my drum," for "my doll," for "the 
Christmas tree," for "my sled," for "my cars." She can in- 
clude as many of these in the prayer as she remembers, en- 
couraging each child to pray to God himself. 

Handwork : 

The children may have manila paper and crayon and may 
draw any part of the Christmas experience that they wish. 
Some of the children can express themselves with this 
medium as they could not through language, and all will 
enjoy the further opportunity to make realistic their toys, 
Christmas trees, and possibly the whole story of Christ- 
mas Eve or Christmas morning. The teacher can draw 
from the children the story of any gifts which they gave, 
she can also tell of the glad appreciation of the toys which 



142 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

they sent to the orphan children for Christmas. She ought to 
have a letter from these children which could be read at this 
time, or, better still, the report of a visit which she has paid 
in the vacation to the Orphanage and of her observation of 
the children with their toys. 

Story: The Toy Party. 

If there is time before the closing, the following story may 
be told : 

Once upon a day there were some children who went back 
to school after a vacation. They told the teacher all about 
their toys and then they asked her if they could bring them 
to school for her to see. She said that each child could bring 
one toy on the next day. 

"I know what I will bring," said Bobbie, "I'll bring my 
engine !" 

"And I'm going to bring my story of The Three Bears," 
said Eleanor. 

"I'll bring my new doll if mother will let me," said Jane. 

While the other children were planning, Joseph was very 
quiet. By and by the rest noticed that he had not told what he 
would bring. "What will you bring, Joseph?" they asked. 

Joseph shook his head. 

"Didn't you get anything for Christmas?" they questioned. 

"Yes," said Joseph, slowly, "I got a sled and a horn. But 
I couldn't bring the sled indoors, and the horn is broke." 

When the children came the next morning, Bobbie had his 
engine, Eleanor had the story of The Three Bears, Jane was 
carrying her new doll, Sarah had a Red Cross Doll, John had 
an aeroplane, and Maurice had a funny movie man and a bag 
of marbles. Joseph had nothing, and his face was very sober. 
Everybody else was talking and laughing and at first no one 
noticed Joseph. 






AFTER-CHRISTMAS PLAY 143 

They sat down on the floor in a ring, each one holding his 
own toy and showing it to his next-door neighbor. Maurice 
began to make the funny movie man jump around; he had 
arms that would wiggle, legs that would wiggle, and his head 
bobbed up and down. The children shouted as Maurice jerked 
him about, and made him hop and skip and bow and bend. 

"But Maurice," the children said, "how can you play with 
two toys?" 

Sure enough Maurice could not even hold the marbles when 
he was making the movie man walk. Then the children spied 
Joseph; he was feeling so sad without any toy that the movie 
man could not make him laugh. 

"Maurice," said the children, "Joseph hasn't any toy; he 
broke his horn and he couldn't bring his sled indoors." 

"I know what I'll do," said Maurice. "I'll let him play with 
the movie man!" 

Dismissal : 

The teacher may invite each child to bring one toy on the 
following day for her to see, and for the other children to 
enjoy. 



LESSON XXIX 

AFTER-CHRISTMAS PLAY (Continued) 

In the bringing of their toys the children will take great 
pleasure, and we would have them associate with these hours 
their happiest experiences. The teacher will have the oppor- 
tunity in this situation to encourage them to share their toys 
with one another in an unselfish way and to show them how 
to play with toys in the right way. She can set a standard 
for the home play which could not be done so well in any 
other way. The hour may be devoted to examining, talk- 
ing about, and playing with the toys; and in reading any 
story which may be suitable. The teacher is an active partici- 
pant in this joyous hour, never an outsider. If she has a doll 
or some other childhood toy which she can bring with her this 
day, it will make the tie between her and the children the 
closer. 

Conversation and song: 

As the children show their toys, they will want to talk 
about them. They may let the other children handle and test 
them. If an engine is brought in, the following song will 
add new interest to the play : 

"Hear the engine puff, 
Engine puff, engine puff, 
Hear the engine puff, 
Engine puff — choo, choo ! 

"Hear the whistle blow, 
Whistle blow, whistle blow, 
Hear the whistle blow, 
Whistle blow — toot, toot! 

144 



AFTER-CHRISTMAS PLAY 145 

"Hear the big bell ring, 
Big bell ring, big bell ring, 
Hear the big bell ring, 
Big bell ring — ding, dong! 

"Hear the brakeman shout, 
Brakeman shout, brakeman shout, 
Hear the brakeman shout, 
Brakeman shout — 'All aboard !' " 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

As the dolls are exhibited by their fond mothers, their 
names may be told and their abilities related. The right care of 
the doll prepares for the right attitude toward the real baby. 
The little boys may be encouraged to take care of the dolls too, 
for, as one little fellow once remarked : "I can have a doll. 
They's just as many papas in the world as mammas." This 
song will tell the child's joy and interest in the doll better than 
she can tell it herself : 

"I've a dear little dolly; 

She has eyes of bright blue; 
She can open and shut them, 
And she smiles at me too. 

"In the morning I dress her 
And we go out to play, 
But I like best to hold her 
At the close of the day." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Prayer : 

When the children are quiet as they sing the song about 
the dolly, a prayer may be used, as, "Dear heavenly Father, 
we thank you for all the toys. Help us to take good care 
of them and to share them." 



146 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Play: 

As much time as is left may be devoted to play with the 
toys in which the suggestions made at the beginning of this 
lesson shall be followed by the teacher. 



LESSON XXX 

THE LIGHTS AT NIGHT 

The star of Bethlehem interests the children in the stars, 
which are very bright and beautiful at this season of the year, 
and appear early enough in the evening for the child occasion- 
ally to see them. The sun, the stars, and the moon are among 
the greatest wonders of the creation to the child, and, like 
primitive man, the thought of God as their Creator fills him 
with gratitude. Almost every little child too is afraid of the 
dark and often dreads going to bed. He therefore needs and 
welcomes the thought of God's watchfulness while he sleeps 
as evidenced in the gifts of the moon and the stars. 

Greeting: 

In using the greeting song and letting the children greet 
one another freely and skip together, the necessary physical 
activity may be introduced which will prepare for the quiet 
talk later. If it is a snowy day, the children may play float- 
ing; if it is cold, they may slide or skip or clap hands to 
the rhythm (using any previous suggestions for winter ac- 
tivity). In the quiet talk a change of position will often rest 
the children if it is evident that they are sitting still too long 
for comfort. Standing to repeat a verse or sing a song will 
introduce the necessary variation. 

Songs : 

Opportunity for choosing songs may be given and the 
songs will probably include many favorites : the "Doll Song," 
"The Christmas Tree," "Silent Night," and Luther's "Cradle 

147 



148 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Hymn." As the children sing Luther's "Cradle Hymn" the 
teacher may call attention to the lines : 

''The stars in the heavens 

Looked down where he lay, 
The little Lord Jesus 
Asleep on the hay." 

The teacher and the children may talk about the one bright 
star, the star of Bethlehem, which showed the shepherds and 
others where the Christ-child was sleeping. If the teacher can 
find a picture of the night sky showing the stars as points of 
light, the children will be deeply interested. 

Conversation: 

They will begin to tell about their own experiences in see- 
ing the stars at night — where and when they saw them. 
The teacher can use the following poem to bring this 
common experience nearer and to connect with the stars 
at night the idea of watchfulness. The children will enjoy 
hearing it repeated several times, and will perhaps try to join 
in saying it : 

Verse : 

"Every night a star, 
High above me, 
Sends its light, clear and bright, 
To say, T love thee.' 

"In my bed I lie, 
But not sleeping; 
From afar calls the star, 
'My watch I'm keeping.' " 

Handwork : 

A circle of dark-blue paper and a stout pin may be given 
to each child and he may prick the circle full of holes — the 



THE LIGHTS AT NIGHT 149 

more irregularly they are put in the better. When he has 
finished and holds his paper up to the light, it gives a miniature 
representation of the starry sky at night. 

Conversation : 

The teacher may ask the children if they do not suggest 
themselves, "What else gives light at night besides the stars?" 
Pictures of the moon may be shown, and the children will 
tell their experiences with it — the full moon, the half moon, 
the quarter moon, its path on the water, its riding under 
the clouds. The following song may be sung and then repeated 
until all are singing: 

"See the big round moon up high, 
Sailing, sailing in the sky. 
Now the dark clouds riding over 
Hide from view the lovely rover. 
Forth she bursts again to sight — 
Silver moon a-shining bright." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

They will talk about the sun shining in the day and will 
make comparisons between the size of the stars and the moon 
and sun, and also the brightness. "Who made the sun to shine 
in the day and the moon and the stars to give light at night V 
the teacher may ask. "God," the children will answer, rever- 
ently and without hesitation. The teacher may read them the 
verse from the Bible which tells about God making the lights; 
they have all without doubt seen a Bible and will recognize 
it as the teacher uses it. She can tell them that it is the book 
which has the stories in it about Moses, Samuel, and the little 
Christ-child. She handles it with love and reverence : "And 
God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, 
and the lesser light to rule the night : He made the stars 
also." 



150 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Evening prayer: 

"In my wee bed I lie, 
While the moon climbs the sky; 
I pray you, dear Lord, to keep 
Close by me while I sleep." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Prayer: 

The prayer may be sung instead of spoken. 



LESSON XXXI 

THE LIGHTS AT NIGHT (Continued) 

The pictures of the moon and stars will recall the song 
about the Lovely Moon and the verse, Every Night. Perhaps 
the children have looked at the moon and the stars since they 
last met together. If so, they will want to talk about their 
impressions. Again and again the song or the verse may be 
woven in during this conversation. 

Story: The Moon is Watching! 

It was time to go to bed. Very reluctantly Marjorie put 
away her blocks and went upstairs with mother. Daddy 
promised to come up later and kiss her good night if she 
did not cry when mother turned out the light. 

Slowly Marjorie pulled off first one shoe and then the other, 
and very slowly she unfastened her clothes and put them 
away as she took them off. When mother had told her the 
bed-time story cuddled in the big rocking chair, Marjorie 
slipped on her knees and said her little prayer. Then the 
moment had come which Marjorie dreaded. She must climb 
into bed, after which mother would turn out the light and leave 
her alone in the dark. 

"Please, mother," said Marjorie, trying very hard not to 
cry, "couldn't you leave the light on a little longer?" Mother 
seemed not to hear, because before Marjorie realized what 
had happened she had turned out the light and was raising 
the shades at the windows and pushing the curtains back. A 
soft silvery light flooded the room, and as Marjorie sat up 
in her little bed she could see the big yellow moon peeking 
through the clouds at her. 

I5i 



152 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"The moon is watching you," said mother. "Snuggle uown 
in your little bed and go to sleep." Marjorie lay very still and 
mother sang : 

"Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee, 
All through the night ; 
Guardian angels God will send thee, 

All through the night. 
Through the open window streaming, 
Moonlight on the floor is gleaming, 
While my baby lies a-dreaming, 
All through the night." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 
(Welsh Air, "All Through the Night.") 

By and by daddy came upstairs to kiss his little girl good 
night, and — what do you think ? He found mother still singing 
softly, the moon still peeping through the clouds, but Mar- 
jorie was sound asleep! 

Conversation: 

The children may talk of their babies at home and how 
God watches when they sleep. They may sing the lullaby 
thinking of their babies. 

Prayer: 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for watching while we 
sleep and while our babies sleep. 

Handwork : 

The children may make a poster picture by cutting out 
a moon from yellow paper and the little house where Marjorie 
lived from black paper. They may paste black ground on a 
dark blue which represents the sky at night. Then the 
house may be mounted on the ground and the moon in the 
sky. The children will like to sing the lullaby as they finish. 



LESSON XXXII 

THE CHRIST-CHILD 

The child likes to think of the Christ-child growing as does 
his baby. The naming of Jesus very simply told is understood 
and appreciated. Unless the growth of the Christ-child is sug- 
gested in a few pictures and stories the child will never con- 
nect the man Jesus with the infant. The steps in the growth 
bring the Christ-child much nearer and the little child rejoices 
to see the likeness to himself. 

Greeting: 

As the children greet one another they will enjoy a 
little game of guessing who calls the name while the eyes 
are closed. First one and then another may have a turn until 
all have had a chance to call the name of a playmate who is 
blindfolded. One must know one's friends very well to tell 
them by the voice ; so this game presumes a more intimate ac- 
quaintance than was at first possible. 

Songs: 

Among the songs suggested, the teacher may ask if any 
of the children have sung to their babies the lullaby, "All 
Through the Night." Very softly, as if the babies were 
present, rocking gently to the music, the children may sing this 
lullaby over several times. 

Pictures and conversation: 

The teacher may ask the children questions about their 
babies: how old they are, what their names are, what they 
can do. The children will be delighted to tell all that they 

153 



154 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

know. They will measure to show how big their babies are, 
and they will tell about the names and what the babies can do : 
crowing, cooing, pulling hair, laughing, holding out the arms, 
dropping objects, creeping, and making sounds for the various 
members of the family. The teacher can show the picture of 
the "Madonna of the Chair," and ask them if they think the 
Christ-child grew like their babies. Does he look any bigger 
than he does in the picture of the Nativity (by LeRolle)? 
When he was a very small baby his mother and father called 
him by the name "Jesus/' and they took him to the temple — 
the name for their church — and they gave him to God as 
Samuel's mother gave Samuel to God. They knew that he 
was God's Son even more than he was their son. The picture 
of the Presentation in the Temple (by Champaigne) may be 
shown. 

Then the picture of "Repose in Egypt" (by Benz) may be 
used and the teacher may continue the story. When Jesus was 
older still, Mary and Joseph took another journey with him. 
Mary and Jesus rode on the little donkey and Joseph walked 
beside them. As we see them in the picture Jesus is resting on 
his mother's lap and Joseph is bringing them some water in 
the jar. Jesus can now sit up very straight; he can laugh and 
coo and crow like your baby; he can clap his hands and pull 
and push and creep too, I think. He grew stronger and taller 
every day, so that when he was a little over a year old he could 
walk about. He loved all the animals : the donkey, the oxen, 
the foxes, the birds and the sheep and lambs. Murillo's "Di- 
vine Shepherd" may be shown; it will elicit much interest and 
comment. Then "The Christ-child," by Murillo, may be 
studied; this child is about the age of the kindergarten child 
and his likeness to them will immediately be recognized. 

"Now he is just like me," John will say; "Like me," and 
"Like me," and "Like me," will follow in eager succession from 
the others. 



THE CHRIST-CHILD 155 

Prayer : 

Dear Father, we thank you for sending the Christ-child. 
We are glad that he was once a little child just like each one 
of us. 

Song: The Child Jesus. (Songs for the Little Child.) 

"The dear little Jesus once lay on the hay; 
He slept and he smiled and he grew day by day, 
Until he could run and could play and could be 
A help to his mother, like you and like me." 

Handwork : 

Three or four of the pictures in the miniature size may be 
given the children. A piece of paper about 6 by 9 inches 
may be given each child; folded once it will make a little 
book in which may be pasted the pictures. If there is suf- 
ficient time, the pictures may be trimmed before pasting. The 
teacher will encourage the children to talk about the pictures 
as they do the pasting. 



LESSON XXXIII 

WINTER SPORT 

The material suggested for this lesson may be used at any 
time when it is most appropriate. As the snowy days and the 
cold days come during the winter, the children are very much 
interested in the loveliness of the out-of-doors, and very jubi- 
lant over the sports which they enjoy with the ice and snow. 
There is a rich fund of song, story, and verse which is con- 
nected with this interest. Here, again, is the teacher's oppor- 
tunity to connect God with the child's life as the giver of the 
winter time. 

Rhythm: 

As the children come in on any cold or snowy day they 
will ask for the plays which they have already had; the skat- 
ing to the glide and the floating like a snowflake. If they 
have been sleigh-riding, they will enjoy making a sleigh by 
having four or five children take hands; a couple of horses 
may be represented by two other children attached to the front 
of the sleigh; another child may be the driver. If the teacher 
has some bells, these may be fastened to the horses, and away 
the driver will go, stopping now and then to take one or more 
of the children for a ride. 

Conversation : 

At the close of this happy experience the teacher and the 
children may talk about the different sports that the winter 
brings : skating, sleigh-riding, making snowballs, snowmen, 
snowhouses, riding in their sleds. The children will have 
many happy experiences to relate. The teacher may also 

156 



WINTER SPORT 157 

lead the children to speak of the icicles, the frost pictures 
on the windows, the whiteness of the snow. She may call 
their attention if it is a clear day to the blueness of the 
sky; if it is cloudy to the soft gray of the snow clouds. On a 
snowy day some of the snowflakes may be caught on a dark 
piece of cloth and examined — the pretty forms delighting the 
children. 

Verse and prayer: 

When the joy and the wonder of the children have been 
aroused the teacher may associate God with the wintertime by 
bringing the following verse (from the "Winter Hymn," by 
Agnes R. Bacon) : 

"Winter day, frosty day ! 
God a cloak on all doth lay. 
On the earth the snow he sheddeth, 
O'er the lamb a fleece he spreadeth, 
Gives the bird a coat of feather 
To protect it from the weather, 
Gives the children home and food, 
Let us thank him — God is good!" 

The teacher may repeat the verse slowly three or four times, 
calling the attention of the children to the different ideas by 
questions after each repetition, as : "What does God give the 
lamb to protect it in the winter?" "What kind of a coat does 
he give the little bird?" 

The prayer will follow very whole-heartedly from the verse : 
"Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the wintertime. 
We thank you for the fun we have and for taking care of us 
and of the lambs and birds." 

Handwork : 

The children will like to make a picture of the snow. They 
may have crayon and paper and may put in the blue sky and 



158 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

perhaps draw a boy skating or playing with his sled. Any 
expression of the winter experience will be welcomed. If 
preferred, white paper may be given the children, which Jhey 
can tear into small pieces representing snowflakes; these in 
turn may be mounted on a gray sheet to resemble the falling 
snow in a snow storm. 

Song: 

The song, "Snowflakes," may be sung to the children at 
the close of the morning. (Perhaps they will wish to learn it 
on this or other mornings.) 

"Little snowflakes falling light 

Drift across the fields at night. 
When the sun shines in the morning, 
All the world is dressed in white." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



LESSON XXXIV 

WINTER COLD 

Mother's and father's part in making the little child com- 
fortable for the winter was developed in the autumn talks and 
stories. The child also is in contact with the workers in the 
community who come to his home or to whom he goes with 
father or mother. They interest him very much, and he often 
spontaneously imitates their activities. His relation to them 
is appreciated as he watches them, plays, and talks about them. 
An attitude of friendliness and admiration develops which 
makes for cooperation and which is an excellent preparation 
for the later right adjustment of social relations. Unless 
the child has had the kindergarten experience it will be well 
for the teacher of religion to confine herself to the developing 
of one topic, using the others incidentally. Suggestive material 
is outlined here from which the teacher may choose the most 
appropriate for her special group. 

Rhythm and song: 

The children may ask to repeat the sleighride play or some 
one of the other winter activities suggested under the last topic. 
The song, "Snowflakes," may be repeated. 

Story: The Great Snow. 

The following story of The Great Snow, developed from 
a real experience, will be most interesting in recalling some- 
what similar experiences that the children may have had, 
as well as in helping them to realize their dependence upon the 
comforts of home and the cooperation of the community 
workers. 

159 



160 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

One Sunday afternoon in the winter, Ned and Helen and 
father and mother were sitting around their cozy grate fire 
when it began to snow. Sometimes the snowflakes come down 
lazily and the covering over the earth gathers very slowly, 
but this afternoon it was quite the opposite : the air was white 
with flying snow crystals which fell fast and furiously. Helen 
and Ned glued their faces to the window pane and tried in 
vain to see Mary's house down the street ; but it was well hid- 
den from view by the sheet of white in the air. 

When they went to bed it was still snowing, and the last 
word that father said was : "Well, I shall need some help in 
shoveling snow to-morrow morning. I wonder if I shall have 
any volunteers." Sure enough, when morning came it had 
stopped snowing, but there was indeed need of shoveling. The 
walks, the porches, the chicken house, even the fences were 
covered, and in places the snow was drifted higher than Ned's 
head, and Ned was eight years old. 

When the family sat down to breakfast mother said, "I am 
very sorry, but we haven't any cream for the oatmeal this 
morning and no milk for the children to drink. The milkman 
hasn't been here yet." 

"I guess he couldn't get around until the streets are plowed 
and the people shovel their walks," said father. "Have I any 
volunteers for shoveling this morning?" 

"I want to shovel," said Ned. 

"I do too," said Helen. 

"Fine, fine," cried father. "Let's get at it right away." 

"I hope you shovel fast," said mother, "and that everybody 
else along our street gets to work, because I need some bread 
and butter and sugar. The delivery wagon can't call with the 
snow piled up like this." 

"Don't you worry, mother," said father, "we'll do our best !" 

Father with his big shovel forged ahead and broke the path 
while Ned and Helen with their small shovels came after and 



WINTER COLD 161 

made it wider, cleaning the snow away more carefully. Finally 
when they reached the street, purring and blowing from the 
heavy work, they saw Mary and her father and Jimmie and 
his father just emerging from their walks. There also was 
the big snow plow with the old horses tugging and sweating 
away as they cleared a path down the road. 

"Run in quick, Helen," said father, "and tell mother to 
order her groceries. She can tell the grocer that his delivery 
wagon can come down our street and that his boy will find 
the walk clean to our front door." 

Helen told mother; mother called the grocer; the delivery 
wagon came, and a very hungry family sat down to a good 
dinner with bread and butter, meat and potatoes, and, best 
of all, a cake that mother had baked with the sugar. 

Conversation: 

After the story the children will want to talk about their 
experiences in getting food in the winter cold. The teacher 
can gradually guide the conversation to a discussion about the 
milkman, where he gets the milk, how he bottles it and his 
plan of delivery; to the grocer and the baker (in many places 
to-day the two are combined with the meat market), what he 
sells, how he keeps it, how he delivers it. Pictures of the milk- 
man, the grocer, the baker, the cows that furnish the milk 
may be provided and will aid in recalling images connected 
with previous experience. 

Excursion : 

The children may make an excursion to a nearby grocery, 
may call the milkman over the telephone asking him to de- 
liver a few bottles of milk at the school. At the grocery they 
will not only see all that they have talked about but they can 
purchase bread and butter. 



162 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Party: 

After the return a party with bread and butter and milk 
may be held. The children's appreciation of these helpers 
will be keener after this experience. The following prayer 
may be used before the party : Dear heavenly Father, we thank 
you for the grocer and the milkman and for everybody who 
helps to provide our food. 



LESSON XXXV 

WINTER COLD (Continued) 

As the children come in on a cold winter day they are very 
conscious of their warm wrappings — caps or hoods, mittens, 
leggings, coats, and furs. They will talk about them as they 
hang them up and will readily continue the conversation as 
they gather in the group. The teacher may question them as 
to where the different articles came from. Some of the chil- 
dren will report that mother made the coat or the leggings or 
the hood; others will state that they purchased theirs at the 
store, and still others will mention the dressmaker or the 
tailor. 

Excursion : 

It will be interesting and instructive in establishing social 
relationships to visit the store or the shop of the dressmaker 
or tailor. The children are especially interested in the tailor 
shop with its high tables, with its tailors sewing busily, cutting 
with the big scissors, measuring customers and pressing with 
the great irons. 

Conversation : 

When they return from the excursion the teacher may help 
them to recall the principal points in the observation as they 
talk it over. She can introduce the refrain which with slightly 
changed words may be used for each helper : 



Song: 



"The tailor makes our clothing, 
The tailor makes our clothing, 
The tailor makes our clothing, 
While we go round about. 

163 



1 64 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"While we go round about, 
While we go round about, 
The tailor makes our clothing, 
While we go round about." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

As this song is sung the children may march in a circle. 

Dramatization: 

The children will enjoy playing tailor shop. Let them 
work out the form as spontaneously as possible. They may 
choose a corner of the room for the tailor shop, and if they 
desire can fit it up with tables, the kindergarten shears, the 
iron from the doll house, or whatever articles suggest them- 
selves as appropriate. There may be two or more tailors 
in charge of the shop, and then there may be two or more 
families living in other parts of the room. The mother or 
father may come with one or more children to buy coats or 
suits. The tailors can take measurements, display cloth and 
tell when to return for fittings. And so the play will con- 
tinue. 

Handwork: 

If the visit to the tailor or dressmaker cannot be made, 
the teacher may talk further with the children about how 
garments are made. If there is a doll belonging to the equip- 
ment, as has been suggested, winter garments may be cut 
from cloth and sewed, using large needles and yarn. If 
real dolls are not available, paper dolls may be used. 
Dresses in two pieces may be cut from construction or de- 
fender paper and may be overcast with raffia or yarn, leaving 
the openings for head, arms, and feet. 



LESSON XXXVI 

WINTER COLD (Concluded) 

The children may recall on another cold day the food 
and the warm clothing that have helped to make them 
comfortable and they may use the singing game, "The tailor 
makes our clothing," supplying for the other helpers, "The 
grocer sells the butter," or like appropriate expression. Good 
pictures of any of these helpers or activities may be supplied 
by the teacher if desired. 

Conversation and object and picture study : 

The teacher may guide them to the helper who supplies the 
shelter from the cold by asking them where the birds stay in the 
winter, where the lambs or sheep go when there is a storm, 
and where the little children are safe and comfortable. They 
will think at once of the various forms of shelter and of the 
carpenter who builds them. They can then add another verse 
to the singing game, "The carpenter builds our houses." Many 
of the children have had experiences with the carpenter at home 
and know how he works. A set of his simpler tools, like the 
hammer, the saw, the plane, the rule, may be brought in. The 
children may examine and use these under the teacher's care- 
ful supervision so that they will appreciate the more 
the carpenter's skill and the value of his work. Pic- 
tures of the carpenter at work may also be shown, as well as 
of the homes which he builds. 

Story : The New Home. 

Once upon a time there was a family of eight who lived 

165 



1 66 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

in a little white house in the country. The little house had 
been white once, but now it was gray, the shingles on the 
roof were tumbling off, the chimneys leaned, and there were 
not enough rooms for the size of the family, especially when 
the friends came to see them. But the family loved the little 
house; it was home to them, and so they kept putting off the 
building of another. Besides, the father had none too much 
money after the eight hungry mouths were filled. 

One day, however, the roof caught fire from one of the old 
chimneys, and before the fire engine could come the little 
house had burned to the ground. The family looked at the 
black spot where it had stood and wondered what they should 
do for a home. A kind neighbor invited them to live in his 
house until they could build another, but "Where," said the 
father, "will we get the lumber and the shingles and the paint 
to make our new home ?" 

Just then a second kind neighbor came by. "I'll give you the 
lumber from the old house that I'm tearing down," said he, "if 
you'll haul it away." 

"And I," said the man who sold shingles, "will sell you 
shingles enough to roof your house at just what they cost me." 

"When you get ready to put in the foundation for your new 
house," said a fourth, "I and my boys will be over to help 
you." 

Then the father took courage. The grown-up sister who 
was away at school sent him a plan for the new house with 
a large living room for the family and the friends, with a din- 
ing room and a kitchen, with bed rooms for the two big boys, 
the two little boys, father, mother, and the baby, and for sister 
when she came home from school. The neighbor and father 
with the boys put in the foundation; then the carpenters ar- 
rived with hammers and nails and saws to use the lumber that 
father had hauled from the old house. 

When the last shingle had been nailed to the roof, mother 



WINTER COLD 167 

began to move in with the little boys to help cany things from 
the wagon to the door. It did not take long to settle the 
family, and then the glad day arrived when sister was to come 
home from school. 

Father and the two big boys met her at the train. As they 
drove up the road sister clapped her hands with joy to see the 
new house gleaming white with its fresh coat of paint and on 
the porch the two little boys and mother with the baby in her 
arms. 

Prayer : 

After the story the children will be full of gratitude for 
their homes and this gratitude may be expressed in the prayer : 
"Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for our homes and for 
every one who helped to build them." 

Handwork : 

If there is time for a handwork period, crayon and paper 
may be used and each child may make a picture of his own 
home. If the school has a box of large building blocks, each 
child or a group of three or four may cooperate in the build- 
ing of a house. Or houses may be cut from paper free- 
hand and mounted afterward. 



LESSON XXXVII 

WINTER BIRDS 

The child can do for the birds and pets in the winter cold 
what the helpers in the neighborhood do for him. He can 
supply the home and food, and he delights in doing it. His 
protecting or nurture instinct is strong at this time, and he 
likes to care for these little creatures needing his help. 

Conversation and pictures : 

The teacher may show the children the picture of "Robin 
Redbreast," by Munier, which will lead to a talk about the 
birds and pets in the winter. 

Verse : 

They will love this verse by Rossetti : 

"Bread and milk for breakfast, 
And woolen frocks to wear, 
And a crumb for robin redbreast 
On the cold days of the year." 

The little boy in the picture is feeding bread to a hungry hen 
and some little birds in the snow. The children will tell about 
the little birds that they have seen, the kinds which stay north 
in the winter, what they find to eat, and where they stay. 

Story: Feeding the Birds. 

The story, "Feeding the Birds," may be told by the teacher : 

One day in the winter Margaret, Jane, and Willard were 
having a tea party. Margaret and Jane were sisters and Wil- 

168 



WINTER BIRDS 169 

lard was the little boy who lived next door. Whenever Wil- 
lard came over to play with them they almost always had a 
tea party. To-day mother had brought in some little tea cakes, 
thin slices of bread and butter, and cambric tea. 

As they were eating and, of course, having the best of times, 
they heard a mournful little sound from the direction of the 
window — "Tweet, tweet, tweet." 

"What is that noise?" asked Margaret. 

"It sounds like a little bird," said Jane. 

"I am going to find out," and Willard ran for the window. 
"Come here, quick," he shouted. 

Margaret and Jane ran over too, and there outside of the 
window perched on the bare branch of a tree were one, two, 
three, four, five tiny snow birds. They were huddled close to- 
gether, and it seemed as if they were looking in the window 
at the children. 

"I guess they are cold," said Jane. 

"Maybe they are hungry," said Margaret. 

"Well, I should think they would be hungry with the snow 
all over the ground. How can they get any worms?" asked 
Willard. 

"I know what we. will do," cried Jane. "Let's give them 
some of our tea party." 

They ran back to the table. There were part of a tea cake 
and some crumbs of bread and a bit of butter left. They broke 
up the tea cake in little bits and they brushed all of the crumbs 
carefully upon a paper. Margaret carried the paper very 
slowly to the window while Jane and Willard threw it open. 
They sprinkled the crumbs on the window sill. 

They waited for the birds to come over, but the birds looked 
at the crumbs, then at the children and waited too. 

"Why don't they hurry up?" said Willard, impatiently. 

Just then mother opened the door to see what the children 
were doing. When they told her, she said, "The little birds 



170 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

are afraid to come while you stand very near. Come back 
here and watch what will happen." 

When the children stepped back, the little birds looked at 
them and then at the crumbs. One brave little bird flew over. 
He ate a wee morsel, then cocked his head reassuringly at the 
other birds. Over they came — one, two, three, four! Now 
they were all on the window sill. "Tweet, tweet, tweet," they 
said, gayly, as they ate the crumbs. 

Song: 

Following the story, the song will express the feeling 
aroused : 

"Hear them tweet, tweet, tweet, 
Little birdies, little birdies, 
Hear them tweet, tweet, tweet, 
Let us give them crumbs to eat." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Handwork : 

The children may make little baskets in which to carry 
crumbs to the birds. The same basket may be made as was 
used in the fall. Give the children construction paper in squares 
9 by 9 inches. Fold over one edge one third the distance to 
the other edge ; then fold the other edge over to meet the new 
base line. Open the paper and cut three inches on either 
end of both lines. Fold over the outer squares thus made and 
fasten to the inner square with a brad at each side; a handle 
of the construction paper doubled may be fastened with the 
same brad. 

Activity : 

The teacher may provide bread on this occasion and let 
the children put some of the crumbs in their baskets. They 
may then either go to the windows and scatter the crumbs 
outside on the ledges, or they may walk out of doors scattering 



WINTER BIRDS 171 

them, on the snow. Should some birds be found, the delight 
of the children will be very great. 

Prayer : 

After or before feeding the birds the following prayer may 
be used : "Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for food and 
homes. Help us to remember the birds and our other pets 
in the winter time." 



LESSON XXXVIII 

WHEN JESUS WAS A BOY 

Another picture is taken from the life of Jesus, helping 
the children to follow his growth and to keep his identity. 
The story of the home and shop activities will be well under- 
stood by their experiences in the home and with the carpenter. 

Rhythm and song: 

The children will like to recall the different helpers of whom 
they have spoken by singing and playing, "The carpenter 
builds our houses," "The tailor makes our clothing," etc. If 
the teacher suggests the name of 'the helper and then lets the 
children supply the appropriate activity, they will much enjoy 
this test of their knowledge, as "The carpenter makes our ." 

Picture studies: 

If any of the children have fathers who are carpenters, 
or grocers, or tailors, they will have told the rest. The 
teacher may ask them if they knew that Jesus's father, Joseph, 
was a carpenter. She may show them the picture of "Jesus 
in the Carpenter Shop," by Hofmann. They will find Joseph 
with his ax and beams in the picture, Jesus carrying the 
rules to Joseph, and Mary watching them. They will like 
to guess how old Jesus was in the picture. The teacher 
may tell them about the other little children who came into 
the home at Nazareth and how Jesus helped Joseph and Mary 
in caring for them. A little later the teacher may show them 
the "Head of the Boy Christ," by Hofmann. How old do 
they think Jesus is now ? They will compare him to their big 

172 



WHEN JESUS WAS A BOY 173 

brothers. They will then want to tell all the wonderful things 
that their big brothers can do — how they can read, spell, write ; 
how they can jump, run, throw ball, and do various other 
feats. Some of the big brothers help father and mother and 
the smaller children. Jesus can be thought of as growing to 
be a big brother too, and a very strong and helpful one. 

Songs : 

As the children talk about Jesus they will like to sing once 
again the songs which they have associated with him: ''Silent 
Night," Luther's "Cradle Hymn," and "The Child Jesus." 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, help us to grow strong and helpful, 
as Jesus did. 

Handwork : 

Small copies of the two pictures may be given to the chil- 
dren which they can cut out and paste in a folder. A sheet of 
construction paper 9 by 6 inches folded once will make a 
desirable size. 



LESSON XXXIX 

VALENTINES A GIFT OF LOVE 

There is nothing that the child enjoys more than making 
valentines for others and receiving them himself. Valentine's 
Day gives another opportunity to express his love for his 
friends. God is thanked for the valentines and is thus as- 
sociated with one more happy experience of the child. 

Conversation : 

The children will have seen the valentines in the shop win- 
dows and will be full of happy anticipations of the valentines 
they are to receive. " The teacher accepts their confidences and 
gives them expression in the song, "Valentines" : 

"When days of February come I know what we will do — 
We'll make some pretty valentines of paper red and blue. 
Valentines, valentines, oh, they tell that I love you! 
Valentines, valentines, oh, they tell that you love me ! 
When days of February come then valentines we see." 

Dance: 

A happy skip may best interpret the joy of the occasion. 
Each child may choose a partner and dance gayly about the 
room. 

Story: Valentines. 

On a certain Saint Valentine's Day the children in a 
kindergarten said, "Let's make valentines." 

174 



VALENTINES A GIFT OF LOVE 175 

"Very well," said the teacher, "we will make valentines. 
What do you wish to make them with?" 

"Crayon and paste and scissors and paper," said the children. 
The teacher and the children found the crayon, the paste, the 
scissors and the paper, and everybody set to work to make 
valentines. There were big hearts and little hearts and very 
tiny hearts; there were twin hearts and folded hearts and 
hearts that open and shut. 

When all the valentines were finished the teacher called the 
children. "Do you know the secret of valentines?" she asked. 
The children shook their heads and so she whispered it to them. 
"If you love somebody," she said, "you send a valentine to 
tell him." 

"I love my father," said John, and "I love my mother," 
cried Mary. "I love my baby," chimed in Elizabeth, and "I 
love my big brother," shouted Bill. 

The teacher wrote these names on the valentines. When 
John went home he said, "Father, shut your eyes." Father 
shut his eyes and when he opened them, there on his knee was 
a valentine. 

When Mary went home she said, "Mother, shut your eyes," 
and when mother opened her eyes, there on the table was a 
valentine. 

When Elizabeth went home she said to her baby, "Shut 
your eyes" ; but the baby would not shut his eyes and Elizabeth 
had to put her hand over them while she tucked the valentine 
into baby's chubby fist. 

When Bill went home he said to his big brother, "Shut your 
eyes," and his big brother said to him, "You don't fool me !" 
But he was as surprised as any of the rest of them when he 
opened his eyes and found a valentine. 

The next day, when the children went back to the kinder- 
garten, they said to their teacher, "Oh, it was fun to make 
valentines !" 



176 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

And she said, "Well, we musn't forget to do it again next 
Valentine's Day." 

Handwork : 

After the story the children will want to make valentines 
to take home as surprises. Red construction paper, scissors, 
valentine scraps, and paste may be furnished. The chil- 
dren may cut out hearts freehand. (If certain children need the 
help of a pattern, it may be given to them.) After the hearts 
are cut out the little pictures may be pasted in the center. 
The teacher may write on the back of the heart the name of 
the one to whom it is to be given. As the valentines are 
being made the children will plan how they will surprise the 
dear ones for whom they are intended. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for valentines, and 
for the fun we have making them and giving them. 



LESSON XL 
A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES 

The fireman, the policeman, the soldier are the child's 
heroes. Of course, the little child is not a hero worshiper in 
the same sense as the junior. Nevertheless he has his heroes : 
he often talks about them and entertains a great admiration 
for them. Four-year-old Bobbs followed a sailor down the 
street, and returning said in awed tones, with popping eyes, 
"I sawed a sailor ; he was a w-w-white one !" 

It is the uniform and the hook and ladder, the gun and club 
that attract the small child as well as what is done with these 
things. Through watching these heroes and hearing stories 
about them he also gets the idea of obedience to rule or law. 
He can be led to have a genuine respect for these protectors 
in the community. 

One of the heroes only may be studied under this topic with 
perhaps incidental mention of the others. Suggestions are given 
here for the development of all three subjects. It need not 
be used at any set time of the year, but whenever the children 
have had a vivid experience which quickens their interest in the 
fireman or the policeman or the soldier. 

Conversation : 

After the children have seen the firemen go to a fire in 
the neighborhood, or some day when the engine happens to 
pass the school building, a conversation about the fireman 
can best be initiated. The children will tell the different parts 
of the fire equipment which they have noted : the engine, 
the hook and ladder, the hose cart, the rubber hats and coats 

177 



178 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

of the firemen. The teacher can lead them to discover the 
use of every part. Perhaps some of the children have visited 
the engine house and can tell about the quarters of the fire- 
men there, the fire gong, the readiness of everything and 
everybody for instant response to the fire signal. 

Pictures : 

In connection with the conversation pictures may be shown 
by the teacher which will recall the children's experiences with 
firemen or which will illustrate the incidents that are told. 
These may be found in some of the story books for older boys 
found in every library. 

Story: Putting Out the Fire. 

The following story will bring home to the child his de- 
pendence on the fireman and the quickness, bravery, and skill 
which this hero displays. 

One afternoon Jack was playing in his back yard when he 
saw smoke coming from the roof of the barn next door. He 
sped as fast as his legs could carry him into the house to his 
mother. "Fire, fire !" he cried. 

"Where?" said his mother as she went to the window. When 
she saw the smoke coming from the roof of the barn, she 
ran to the telephone and sent in a call for the fire company. 
"Jack," said she, "you must help me pack a few clothes and 
our silver, for with this wind our house may catch fire 
too." 

Before mother and Jack could pack one suitcase, Jack heard 
the clanging of the fire gong, and he forgot everything else 
in the excitement of watching the firemen. There was the 
engine puffing away; the hook and ladder and the hose cart 
were just behind. The captain was shouting orders and the 
firemen were running swiftly and surely here and there. Two 



A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES 179 

had fastened the heavy hose to the hydrant while others held 
the nozzle and directed the big stream on the barn. Three more 
had put up the ladders and were chopping away furiously 
with their hatchets to make an opening in the barn so that the 
men could get the hose inside. Some of the firemen had found 
another hydrant and were bringing hose from that direction. 
The smoke poured out of the building, soot and cinders rained 
down on the firemen, but they seemed not to notice. 

Suddenly the smoke died down. The firemen tramped 
around to be sure that every spark was out. Then the en- 
gine started back to the engine house followed by the hook 
and ladder and the hose cart. The firemen were wet and tired, 
but they looked happy, and Jack and mother cheered and 
waved the flag as they passed by. 

Dramatization : 

After the telling of this dramatic incident the children 
may want to play "fire engine," as they term it. Jack and 
his mother may send in the call and the firemen riding on 
the engine, hose cart, hook and ladder may come to the 
rescue. They will direct the hose on the burning building, 
then later return to the engine house with mother and Jack 
cheering as they pass by. Any part of this little drama for 
which the children are ready may be played if it is merely the 
representation of the firemen going to the fire, putting it out 
and returning without the part of Jack and mother brought in 
at all. Very little setting is needed by the child of this age for 
the dramatization — nothing more in fact than the engine house 
and the burning building. 

Excursion : 

Unless the children are thoroughly familiar with the fire- 
man it would be well to visit the engine house, if possible, be- 
fore suggesting the dramatization. The children would be 



180 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

much interested in examining every part of the equip- 
ment. They might be fortunate enough to be in the vicinity 
when the firemen were called out for a fire or were going 
out for practice. 

Handwork : 

Freehand drawing with crayon and manila paper would 
be an excellent medium of expression for this interest. If 
preferred, the children might build the engine house, the en- 
gine, other houses with the large blocks and use them as setting 
in the dramatization. 

Prayer : 

Whenever the prayer can best be brought in, it may be used. 
''Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the firemen and for 
what they do to help us." 



LESSON XLI 

A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES (Continued) 

Some day when the children and the teacher are out for a 
walk the big policeman will stop traffic and help them across 
the street. The children will have a good chance to observe 
his uniform, club, and star. Perhaps he will talk to them 
kindly, as policemen sometimes do. Or on some other oc- 
casion they may meet him in the park when he reminds them to 
"keep off the grass," or to refrain from "picking the flowers." 
In the one case they have come in contact with him as a per- 
sonal protector, in the other as an administrator of certain 
laws to which all must be obedient. 

Conversation : 

The teacher may do much to stimulate their confidence 
and respect by talking over these experiences with them after- 
ward, and helping them to feel the kindliness of the police- 
man and the reasonableness of the rules. Many little chil- 
dren fear the policeman or try to outwit him as a natural 
enemy. It means much for their social adjustment and their 
community responsibility that these first experiences are rightly 
interpreted. 

Dramatization : 

The children will often act out the little drama of crossing 
the street. One will represent the big policeman in the center, 
others will be autos, carts, and cars, while still others are 
people, perhaps the teacher and her children, trying to cross. 
The policeman holds up his hand to stop the traffic and then 

181 



1 82 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

helps the teacher and the children. A silver paper star will 
furnish great dignity to the policeman and great respect from 
the observers. 

Story: The Rescue of Mother Biddy. 

The story of the Policeman and Mother Biddy Hen is a 
realistic story which brings the policeman as a protector into 
intimate favor with the children. 

One night Mrs. Davis and her children were awakened 
from a sound sleep by a dreadful racket in the chicken yard. 
Mrs. Davis lived in. town, but she kept a few chickens as pets 
for her children. "Bob and Mary," she said as they came shak- 
ing into her room, "I'm very sorry that your father is away 
to-night. Something must be after the chickens. Put on your 
slippers and coats and come with me." 

It was very dark outside, and Bob and Mary shivered as 
they kept close to their mother. No sooner had they stepped 
off the porch, however, than they heard a cheery whistle and 
saw a bright light. It was Ben, the big policeman. 

"Look's like chicken thieves, Mrs. Davis," he said. "I've 
just called for Jones, who has the next block. Don't be afraid; 
we'll find the rascals for you." 

Bob had run ahead to the chicken coop, and now he was 
fairly crying as he called, "O mother, they've took Mother 
Biddy Hen. Here is a handful of her feathers where they 
grabbed her!" Now, Mother Biddy Hen was the best little 
brown hen in the henhouse and a great favorite with the chil- 
dren. 

Jones, the other policem'an, had arrived, and Ben started 
down the alley while Jones went up the street in the opposite 
direction. Mrs. Davis tried to comfort the children, although 
she really did not expect the policemen to catch the thieves. 

It was not long, however, before they heard Ben's cheery 



A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES 183 

whistle. "We've found the rascal," he said, "and who do you 
suppose it is ?" The children could not guess. Ben had to 
tell them. "A big black dog," he said. "We scared him so that 
he dropped Mother Biddy Hen and began to run. Say, Jones, 
when do you think he'll stop running!" 

There in Ben's arms was Mother Biddy Hen, very quiet 
and scared and having lost handfuls of feathers; but still able 
to drink the water that the children brought her and eat a 
little grain. 

"Children," said mother, "how can we thank Ben enough?" 
"Don't mention it, Mrs. Davis," said Ben. "Just call on me 
whenever I can help you." 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the policeman and 
for what he does to help us all. 



LESSON XLII 
A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES (Concluded) 

Marching : 

There is no activity that children enjoy more than march- 
ing like soldiers. At the first of the year they do not keep 
succession in the march, but they do feel the rhythm of some 
well-accented march, like "How we march a-soldier," in The 
Rhythms of Childhood, by Crawford, if it is well played on 
the piano. Very soon such simple commands as "Halt!" 
and "Forward, march!" may be introduced and later, "Back- 
ward, march!" and "About face!" In time the children are 
able to keep succession in the march, and will under a good 
leader march happily single file for twenty minutes. Some- 
times there can be one flag-bearer; at other times every child 
may carry a flag. When carrying flags the children should show 
the utmost respect for them from the first. They should never 
be allowed to touch the ground and should be held proudly 
aloft, for the flag is the symbol of our country, and disre- 
spect for it may mean later a disregard for the more sacred 
duties of citizenship. If there is a drum or other band in- 
struments, it will add interest occasionally to use these in the 
march. The children should be taught alertness, good carriage, 
quick response to commands of the leader through the march. 
If rightly conducted, it is an excellent means of teaching self- 
control and cooperation. 

Conversation : 

In connection with the marching, which is the sol- 
dier activity that the children have most often witnessed, 

184 



A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES 185 

thef will like to tell about the soldiers; how they march, 
the commands that are given to them, the band that plays 
for them, their uniforms, their guns. Perhaps some of them 
will know about the tents where the soldiers sleep, the mess 
halls where they eat, their drills, and the fighting that they 
must often do. The teacher can stress their helpfulness as 
our protectors as well as their bravery by telling some such 
little incident as the following one: 

Story : Our Brave Soldiers. 

Once upon a time, long ago, there were some bad Indians 
who troubled the people in one of our towns by stealing 
their horses, and finally one day by taking a little child 
away from its mother. Then, indeed, the people were very 
angry, and they sent for the brave soldiers to bring back the 
horses and the little child to its mother. 

The soldiers found out where the Indians had their camp, 
in a dark forest against a great cliff. One night when they 
were sleeping the soldiers stole upon them until they had 
made a circle about the camp. Then one very brave soldier 
crept in on his hands and knees to the wigwam where the 
little white child was sleeping. Very gently in order not to 
awaken it, he lifted it in his arms and lightly and swiftly he 
bore it out of the camp. 

The other soldiers were waiting with their horses which 
they had loosened from their tethers and with the speed 
of the wind they all mounted and rode. When they came to 
the town the people were waiting with drums and with flags, 
and in front of them all was the mother looking for her little 
child. 

The brave soldier stooped from his saddle and put the child 
in his mother's arms. The little child laughed, the mother 
wept with joy, and all the people shouted, "Hurrah, hurrah 
for our brave soldiers !" 



186 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 



Song: 

"The Soldiers Come" will be loved by the children, es- 
pecially after the story just sketched: 

"Marching, marching swiftly by, 
To the beating of the drum, 
With the stars and stripes on high, 
See the soldiers come!" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 
Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the brave soldiers 
who help to take care of us. Please be with them every- 
where and keep them when in danger. 

Handwork : 

Every child likes a soldier cap. The caps may be made 
and kept for the Hero Festival, if this lesson should pre- 
cede. Oblongs of tissue paper or brown wrapping paper, 

The Soldier Cap 



O 

o 

U. 





A LITTLE CHILD'S HEROES 187 

a little smaller than an ordinary newspaper sheet, may 
be provided. Place the sheet so that the long line runs from 
front to back, fold the back edge to meet the front edge; 
then fold the right side to meet the left side. Open the last 
fold only, showing the guiding line extending through the 
center from front to back. Place the paper so that the closed 
edge is at the top and bring the upper right-hand corner to 
meet the guiding line, then the upper left-hand corner to meet 
the same line. Fold back on either side the paper at the bottom 
which extends below the two triangles just formed by the 
folding. A little paste or, better still, a small badge fastened 
on either side will hold the folds in position. 



LESSON XLIII 

THE HERO FESTIVAL 

The little child has a part in every community or home 
festival, or should have. What may his part be in the cele- 
bration of birthdays such as those of Washington or Lincoln? 
He is not ready for history stories. He knows about birthdays, 
however, about soldiers and presidents. He has gained some 
idea from the home discussion of the present President. The 
picture can be shown of the great man, and the children can 
be told that it is the birthday of one of our great soldiers. Our 
soldiers may be associated with the day, and the children can 
carry the flag and think of themselves as soldiers. Patriotism 
begins with a little child's love, respect, and reverence for the 
flag which he proudly carries and salutes. 

Conversation : 

The children, some of them, already know the picture 
of Washington, and as soon as they see it in the room they 
call out that it is Washington's Birthday. The teacher can 
tell the children that Washington was the first President 
of our United States and that he was a great soldier, that 
everyone loves him and knows him when his picture is shown. 
The teacher and the children may salute his picture and then 
the flag which is always in the room. 

Songs : 

One verse of "America" can be sung, as nearly all chil- 
dren know at least one. "The Star-Spangled Banner" may 
be played and sung by the teacher and those children who 

1 88 



THE HERO FESTIVAL 189 

want to sing with her. During the singing of both hymns the 
children may stand at attention. Then the Soldier Song may 
be sung by all the children. 

March: 

They may put on their soldier caps, carry the drum and 
flags, and march to the music of the Soldier Song. Different 
children may take turns leading the march and giving the 
commands. 

Story: The Army of Two. 

The story of "The Army of Two," may be told at this 
time. Children are much interested in the fact that two little 
girls were soldiers. It suggests that every child may on 
occasion be a soldier : 

Once upon a time there were two little girls, Rebecca and 
Sarah. Rebecca's father kept a lighthouse, and Sarah was 
Rebecca's little friend. One day when the children were at 
play they saw a strange ship coming into harbor. 

Now, Rebecca's father had gone across the bay and the 
children were alone. 

"What is that?" they cried, when they saw the ship. Then 
they ran up into the lighthouse to watch. Yes, it was a strange 
ship coming straight into the bay. What was it doing? It 
had set fire to a little sloop that lay outside the harbor. It must 
be an enemy ship. 

"O, if I were a man, wouldn't I fight?" cried Rebecca. "And 
I too," cried Sarah. 

The little girls watched and watched. What could they do? 
If they could only warn the people of the village! But they 
could not, for they had no boat. 

1 From America's Story for America's Children by Mara L. Pratt. Copy- 
right, 1901. Used by permission of D. C. Heath & Co., Publishers. 



190 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"Couldn't we scare the enemy away?" they wondered. 

"There is a drum in the lighthouse," said Rebecca. "There 
is a fife too! — Let us go and get them. I can beat the 
drum." 

"And I can play the fife," said Sarah. 

Then down the stairway the two children ran to find the 
drum and fife. They would play them as hard as ever they 
could, and perhaps the enemy would think an army was com- 
ing. 

Then the children crept around behind the lighthouse and 
along through the bushes. 

"Rub-a-dub, rub-dub, dub-dub !" 

"Toot-le-ty-toot, toot, toot !" 

"Hark!" called the enemy captain. 

"Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dub, rub-a-dub!" 

"Toot-le-ty-toot, toot-le-ty-toot, toot, toot !" 

"Troops !" said the soldiers on the enemy ship. "But where 
are they?" Then they listened again. The music seemed to 
be coming nearer and nearer. 

"They are coming along the point," said the captain. "We 
must get away as quickly as possible," and with that the enemy 
ship sailed out of the harbor. 

Meantime the people in the village had heard the music, and 
they hurried over to the lighthouse to see what it meant. Andj 
what did they find there ? Only two little girls ! 

"Do you think we scared them away?" asked Rebecca. 

"There can be no doubt of it," said the people. 

From that time as long as Rebecca and Sarah lived they 
were called Captain Rebecca and Lieutenant Sarah. Some- 
times they were called The American Army of Two. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the soldiers and 
the flag. Help us to be brave and helpful like true soldiers. 



THE HERO FESTIVAL 



191 



Handwork : 

If there is time, each child may have a small picture of 
Washington which he can paste on a card. If desirable, he 
can construct a very attractive frame by folding once a 
square of paper 5 by 5 inches, making an oblong, then cut- 



Picture Frame 

5x5 inches, folded in center 5x5 inches 



D 
O 



CUT 


0! 

_j' 

Oi 
M 

CUT ! 

• 






ting from the folded edge two slits half the width of the 
picture and as far apart as the length. The child may then 
open out his square of paper, and cut on the folded line be- 
tween the two slits. When he pastes the frame on the card 
and folds back the flaps, or doors, as the children call them, 
his picture will look out at him. 



SPRING 



LESSON XLIV 
JESUS GROWS TO BE A MAN 

Beginning with December the teacher has mentioned Jesus 
every time that she has met with the children. They have 
lived with the thought of him as a baby, as a child, as a boy. 
Now he is a man. They have talked about the soldier who pro- 
tects or cares for people. Jesus calls friends to follow him, 
and they go about taking care of people. The stories of feed- 
ing and healing told from the beautiful pictures of Murillo 
and Hofmann are given with the emphasis on the love and 
helpfulness. When Jesus calls little children and blesses them, 
their hearts, stirred by this goodness to others, respond with 
a glad, spontaneous affection. The bond is made between the 
child and Jesus as the best of friends. The story of "The Tri- 
umphal Entry," told from Plockhorst's picture, gives the ex- 
pression of little children's love for Jesus in the throwing of 
the flowers, the waving of the branches, and the shouts of 
"Hosanna !" 

The picture stories may be told one at a period ; that picture 
story may be retold at the following period until the chil- 
dren know all the pictures and are able to tell the incidents 
themselves. 

The material of the next topic, "The Coming of Spring," 
may be introduced simultaneously with these lessons when- 
ever it is apropos. It is printed as supplementary nature ma- 
terial at the close of this section. 

Conversation and Pictures : 

The pictures of Jesus as a child and as a boy may be shown 

195 



196 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

to the children, and they may tell the story that each picture 
suggests to them. The songs about the Christ-child with which 
they are familiar may be used if asked for by the children. 

Story: Christ and the Fishermen (Zimmerman). 

Jesus was not always a boy. By and by he grew to be 
a man, strong and tall, like your father. He was not a sol- 
dier, but he was as brave as any soldier, and he went about 
taking care of people — feeding them when they were hungry, 
making them well when they were sick and preaching to them 
as the minister does in our church. 

He found so many people to help that he needed friends 
to go about with him. One day he found three wonderful 
friends. They were fishermen and their names were Peter, 
James, and John. They had been spending their time catching 
fish in the sea of Galilee. When Jesus passed by they were 
mending their nets before they should go fishing again. 

He stopped and watched them a little and then he told them 
what he was doing to help people. "Peter, James, and John," 
he said, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men." 

And Peter, James, and John left their nets and followed 
Jesus. They loved him and helped him wherever they could; 
they were his friends. 

Picture : 

After the telling of the story, the children will want to 
look at the picture, Zimmerman's "Christ and the Fishermen," 
very intently; they will find Jesus and each one of the three 
friends. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for Jesus and for 
the friends that helped him. May we make good friends. 



JESUS GROWS TO BE A MAN 197 

Handwork : 

Small copies of the picture may be furnished the children 
which they can cut out and mount on soft-toned cards. They 
may talk freely about the picture as they are mounting it and 
may be encouraged to tell mother and father about the friends 
and Jesus. A little talk about what a good friend is will help 
to set a standard for the friendships that the children are 
forming. 



LESSON XLV 
JESUS THE MAN 

Story: Christ Feeding the Multitude (Murillo). 

One day Jesus went across the sea of Galilee to a lonely 
place, but the people followed him : fathers and mothers, grand- 
fathers and grandmothers, and even little children — a great 
multitude of them. Jesus talked to them all day, and as the 
sun was going down he noticed that they were hungry and far 
from home. 

"Whence shall we buy bread," he said to one of his friends, 
"that these may eat ?" 

Just then another one of the friends spied a boy with a 
basket. "There is a lad here," he said to Jesus, "who has 
five barley loaves and two fishes." The boy was glad to give 
all that he had to Jesus, and Jesus took the loaves and fishes 
and gave thanks to God our Father. 

Then the friends passed the bread and fishes and all the 
people had enough to eat and to spare. 

Picture : 

"The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes," by Murillo, is one 
of the best representations of this subject. The children will 
be particularly interested in the boy and in Jesus. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, help us to love people and to take 
care of them as Jesus did. 

Offering : 

The teacher and the children can talk about the poor chil- 

198 




WHEN THE OFFERING IS PUT INTO THE BASKET 



JESUS THE MAN 199 

dren who have not food enough and whom they can help to 
feed by bringing pennies which they save and sometimes by 
packing baskets of food for them. If practicable, some ef- 
fort should be made to carry out the suggestion of this lesson 
in concrete giving. 

Handwork : 

A small copy of the picture may be cut and mounted to 
take home to mother and father with the story and the sug- 
gestion of help to a family in need of food. 



LESSON XLVI 
JESUS THE MAN (Continued) 

Story: Healing the Sick (Hofmann). 

One afternoon Jesus was at the house of a friend when at 
sunset all the people who were ill came to the door. There was 
the old blind man who had not been able to see for years. 
There was the man with crutches hobbling painfully up the 
street. There was the man whose friends had to carry him 
because he could not walk. And there too, looking at Jesus 
with pleading eyes, was the mother with her sick child in her 
arms. 

When Jesus saw them he was filled with sorrow for them. 
They had been to other physicians, none of whom had been 
able to make them well. Jesus prayed to God the heavenly 
Father that he might heal them. Then he put his hands on them 
and blessed them. 

The old blind man saw the sunlight and flowers, the faces 
of his friends, Jesus ! The lame man threw away his crutches 
and went leaping down the street! The man who could not 
walk stood straight and strong once more. The color came 
back to the child's face and the laughter to its lips. It ran again 
by the side of the mother. 

Then there was great joy in the heart of Jesus because God 
the heavenly Father had enabled him to make these sick people 
well. 

Picture : 

The children will find in the picture, "Healing the Sick/' 
by Hofmann, the blind man, the lame man, the man who could 

200 



JESUS THE MAN 201 

not walk, the mother with the child, and Jesus. The wonder- 
ful love and compassion of the Master illumines the picture. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for Jesus. We love 
him. 

Service: 

If any little child in the class is ill the rest of the group 
might send a pretty card, dictating to the teacher what to write 
upon it, or they might make a picture book of all the pictures 
they have had of Jesus, or they might send flowers. In this 
way they can express the sympathy and love which the story 
will arouse. 

Handwork : 

The picture, "Healing the Sick," may be given to each child 
and be cut out and mounted as has been suggested for the 
other pictures. 



LESSON XLVII 

JESUS THE MAN (Continued) 

Before the telling of another story the teacher and the chil- 
dren may look over all the pictures that they have had and 
talk about the hungry people and the sick people that Jesus 
helped, and about the little children who are hungry or have 
been sick whom they have helped. Perhaps some message will 
have been received from these children to whom they have 
given which can be read at this time. 

Story: Christ Blessing Little Children (Plockhorst). 

Wherever Jesus was there were crowds of people, so many 
that it was very hard to come near to him. One day 
when he was busy caring for all of these people, some of 
whom were blind and lame and ill, there came also mothers 
with their little children. One mother carried a baby and had 
two small children clinging to her skirts ; another mother had 
an older boy, and still a third had a group of five, two little 
boys and three little girls, the smallest just big enough to 
toddle. These mothers wanted Jesus to see their dear children 
and to bless them. 

But the friends of Jesus thought that he was too busy to 
be troubled, and so they said : "Jesus has no time for children 
to-day. Perhaps some other time he can see them." 

Jesus heard what the friends said, and he saw the mothers 
and the children. He loved little children! "Suffer the little 
children to come unto me," he said, "and forbid them 
not." 

Then he took the baby in his arms as he sat by the roadside, 

202 



JESUS THE MAN 203 

and all the other children gathered about him looking up into 
his face. Perhaps he told them some of the beautiful stories 
about the baby Moses, and the little Samuel and others that 
you know. I think they told him about the birds and the 
flowers and everything that they had to play with. Then he 
put his hands on their heads and asked the heavenly Father 
to bless them. 

Prayer : 

Dear God our Father, we thank you for Jesus. We are 
glad that he loves little children ; we are glad that he loves us. 

Song: 

Very softly the teacher may sing the song, "Jesus and the 
Children" : 

"When Jesus was on earth with men, 
He called the little children. 
The mothers heard and gladly then 
They brought their little children. 
He took them in his arms of love 
And told about the God above 
Who cares for little children." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

The children will want the song over and over, and will 
join unconsciously in the singing. 

Picture : 

The beautiful picture of "Christ Blessing Little Children," 
by Plockhorst, can be shown immediately after the telling of 
the story or later during the singing of the song. The children 
will try to identify as many of the figures in the picture as they 
see. There is no other picture more appropriate as a permanent 
one for the children's room than this one. 



204 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Handwork: 

Every child will want to possess this picture. A larger size 
should be furnished than for the other pictures. It may be 
mounted on a card, so that it can be hung in the little child's 
room at home. 



LESSON XLVIII 

JESUS THE MAN (Concluded) 

The children will want to tell where the picture of "Christ 
Blessing the Children" has been placed at home. If the 
children are familiar with children of other races as is the 
city child in America to-day, the picture "The Hope of the 
World," by Harold Copping, may be shown. This picture will 
interest because of the money which the children have brought 
to help other children. The idea that Jesus loves all little 
children will gain a wider interpretation through this picture, 
and an attitude toward children of other races will be formed 
that no other appeal is quite so potent in making. 

Song: 

The song used with the story, "Jesus and the Children," 
may be sung several times, the teacher singing the lines and 
the children alone responding with the refrain. 

Story: The Triumphal Entry (Plockhorst). 

The story based upon Plockhorst's picture of "The Tri- 
umphal Entry" may be used as an interpretation of the chil- 
dren's love for Jesus. In the development of this series it 
would come near or at the Easter festival. 

One day Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on an ass's 
colt, his friends walking by his side. Crowds of people fol- 
lowed him from the country and the people in the city ran out 
of their houses to greet him. 

Some of them spread shawls and coats in the way for him 
to ride over, while others broke branches from the palm trees 
and waved them. 

205 



206 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

The little children were there. They had palm branches and 
great bunches of wild flowers which they scattered before 
Jesus. "Hosanna, Hosanna!" shouted the people. "Blessed is 
he that cometh in the name of the Lord." "Hosanna, 
Hosanna !" shouted the children. "We love him too." 

Picture : 

The picture may be used in connection with the telling of 
the story and the singing of the hymn. It has a great fascina- 
tion for the children, and they should be allowed the time 
to study it carefully while the song, "Jesus Loves Me," is 
sung over and over. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus our friend. 
We thank you for all that he did to help people — the sick, 
the hungry, and those in trouble. May we help people too. 

Handwork : 

Again the children may mount the picture to take home. 
They may make a folder of manila paper, drawing on the cover 
flowers, birds, trees, and mounting the picture inside. 

SUPPLEMENTARY NATURE MATERIAL 
(To be used with Lessons 44-48.) 

THE COMING OF SPRING 

There cannot be a set time for introducing spring. The 
children will bring in spontaneously the signs of it — now a 
pussy willow, again the report of a robin, a little branch that 
is budding, a crocus. The teacher also brings in evidence of 
the change. There is no season of the year so full of wonders 
in the out-of-doors as the spring, and the little child seems 



JESUS THE MAN 207 

peculiarly akin to all that is budding and growing there. 
Through nature the pathway leads straight back to God as the 
creator of all the new life and loveliness. It is the purpose 
here to give some suggestive material with the hope that the 
teacher will select the most appropriate for her group and 
will use it at the time when it is apropos. As was indicated in 
the introduction to the series of picture stories, these may be 
interspersed with the spring material — the spring activities, 
songs and the examination of nature material often preceding 
the use of the biblical material. 

The Pussy Willows 
Observation : 

The first harbinger of spring in many places is the pussy 
willow. A single branch or several twigs may be brought in 
by the children or the teacher. Perhaps the group can be taken 
by the teacher where the pussy willows grow and can have 
the joy of discovery. They will observe the way the flowers 
appear on the branch, the little brown coverings, or "houses," 
out of which they have come. Every child will want to stroke 
them, for the soft texture delights the child. The teacher will 
ask what time of year brings the pussy willows, and some 
of the children will know that it is spring. The teacher may 
also question where the pussy willows have been hiding all 
winter, and the children will find some of the brown cover- 
ings not yet opened. 

Song: 

The children will respond immediately to this song of "The 
Pussy Willow" : 

"In the early days of spring, 
Pussy willow, pussy willow, 
When the birds begin to sing, 
Pussy willow, we find you. 



208 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"And you wear a velvet gown, 
Pussy willow, pussy willow, 
That is soft as eider down. 
Pussy willow, we love you." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

The children and the teacher may talk about velvet and eider 
down. If anyone is wearing velvet, the children may feel it. 
The teacher also may bring in some eider down. 

Handwork : 

If handwork is desired, the children may be provided with 
sheets of gray construction paper, with white chalk or crayon 
and with brown crayon. They can easily draw some of the 
willow branches with the brown crayon and then distribute the 
gray flowers on the stem making the brown covering at the 
base of each one with the brown crayon. 

Prayer : 

At some time during this nature talk when the apprecia- 
tion for the pussy willow is most evident, the teacher may 
lead the children in the prayer: Dear Father in heaven, we 
thank you for the pussy willows and for the coming of the 
spring. 

The Birds Return 
Observation : 

The children will report the appearance of the first robin 
and later of the bluebird, the oriole, and the woodpecker. The 
teacher and the children can walk out often to look for birds 
and can learn to recognize one at a time. The pictures of the 
different birds in color can be put up in the room on the pic- 
ture screen, not, of course, until the bird appears. The children 
will know in time the distinguishing characteristics of each 
one — the robin's red breast and rusty coat, the color of the 



JESUS THE MAN 20.9 

bluebird and the oriole, as well as the woodpecker's red head. 
Each bird becomes a loved friend who gives joy by his flight, 
his song, and his gay coat. 

Activity : 

The children delight in imitating the flight of the return- 
ing birds. Very lightly on tiptoe with outspread arms mov- 
ing up and down they fly about the room or out of doors. 
"Birds A-flying," from The Rhythms of Childhood, may be 
used as a piano accompaniment. Sometimes the children like 
to play that they are bluebirds or robins or orioles or wrens, 
according as they are dressed in brown or red or orange or 
blue. 

Songs : 

There are many beautiful songs about the birds that may 
be sung to the children at this time. One of the first to be 
used might be, "Now It Is Spring" : 

"Lo, cold winter days are past, 
Hark! robins and orioles sing, 
Gay daffodils bloom at last, 
For now it is Spring !" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

This song of "The Woodpecker" the children like especially 
for the tapping refrain : 

"Black and white and flaming red, 
In the tree high overhead, 
He is tapping all for fun, 
Rapping, tapping in the sun. 
Rap-tap-tap-tap, Rap-tap-tap-tap, 
Rap-tap-tap-tap, Rap-tap-tap-tap." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



210 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"Robin Redbreast" will be a favorite : 

"Oh, I am Robin Redbreast, 
I hop on your lawn, 
I help to make your garden, 
And wake you at dawn." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Verses that may be read to the children are: "What Does 
Little Birdie Say?"— 

"What does little birdie say, 
In her nest at peep of day? 
'Let me fly,' says little birdie, 
'Mother, let me fly away.' 

"Birdie, rest a little longer, 
Till your little wings grow stronger. 
So she rests a little longer, 
Then she flies away. 

"What does little baby say, 
In her bed at peep of day? 
Baby says, like little birdie, 
'Let me rise and fly away.' 

"Baby, sleep a little longer, 
Till the little limbs are stronger. 
If she sleeps a little longer, 
Baby, too, shall fly away." 

(Lord Alfred Tennyson.) 

"Rock-a-bye, birdies, upon the elm tree, 
Where the long limbs wave gently and free, 
Tough as a bow-string, and drooping and small, 
Nothing can harm you to give you a fall. 

"Rock-a-bye, birdies, along with the breeze — 
All the leaves over you, humming like bees, 
High-a-way, low-a-way, come again, go, 
Go again, come again, rock-a-bye so. 



JESUS THE MAN 211 

"Wonder how Father-bird braided that nest — 
Binding the twigs about close to his breast, 
Wonder how many there are in your bed, 
Bonny swing, cradle, hung high overhead. 

"Never mind, birdies — how lightly it swings ! 
Mother-bird covers you close with her wings, 
High-a-way, low-a-way, come again, go, 
Go again, come again, rock-a-bye so." 

This verse will be easily memorized : 

"Wrens and robins in the hedge, 
Wrens and robins in the air, 
Building, pecking, perching, fluttering — 
Everywhere." 

(Christina Rossetti.) 

Handwork : 

The children may have crayon and paper and draw free- 
hand the different birds. Stencils may be furnished by the 
teacher as a help to the children in getting better form. Birds 
may be cut from paper; if a string is fastened to the bird 
and the child runs holding the end of the string, he is much 
delighted because his bird seems to fly. 

Prayer : 

The child will want to thank God for the pussy willows and 
the birds : Dear Father, we thank you for the pussy willows 
and the birds that come in the spring. 

Service : 

The children can be reminded to throw crumbs to these first 
birds who often come before the snow is all melted and who 
find it difficult to get food. They will be happy to feed 
them. 



212 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

The Flowers Bloom Again 
Observation : 

Almost every day the children find a new sign of spring: 
the grass grows green ; the leaf buds are swelling on the trees ; 
the snowdrops, the hepaticas, the arbutus, the crocus, the dande- 
lion, the violet follow in quick succession. The teacher and the 
children may walk out often to find these growing things. 
Twigs may be brought into the schoolroom and placed in 
water so that the children may watch the unfolding of the 
leaves. When the wild flowers are picked the children should 
be taught from the beginning to leave many for seed. The 
color and form and odor of the different flowers will be a 
never-ending source of wonder and surprise to the child. He 
should have the opportunity to touch and to smell as well as 
to see to his heart's content. The cause for the growing of the 
flowers and grass will be questioned and found in the warm 
spring sun and the gentle showers. 

Songs : 

There is a wealth of song and verse for this theme. A few 
illustrations are given here. 
The Sun: 

"Good-morning to you, merry Sun, 
That shines bright all the day, 
You watch the grass and flowers grow 
And little children play." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



Raindrops : 



Tatter-pat, patter-pat, 
What a gentle sound is that! 
Patter-pat, patter-pat, 
Hear the raindrops tap! 



JESUS THE MAN 213 

Now the grass and flowers will be 
Fresh and bright for you to see ! 
Patter-pat, patter-pat, 
Hear the raindrops tap !" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Dandelions : 

"When the first spring days are cold, 
Dandelions, dandelions, 
When the first spring days are cold, 
Dandelions dress in gold. 

"When the summer days are bright, 
Dandelions, dandelions, 
When the summer days are bright, 
Dandelions dress in white." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



Daisies : 



Violet : 



Verses : 



"Where pretty bright-eyed daisies are, 
With blades of grass between, 
Each daisy stands up like a star 
Out of a sky of green." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



'I am walking through the grass, Violet, 
And I pick you as I pass, Violet. 
Pretty little flower of blue, Violet, 
How the children all love you, Violet !" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 



'Tell me, little raindrops, 

Is that the way you play? 
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter, 

All the rainy day?" 

(Play Life.) 



214 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"In the heart of a seed, buried deep, so deep, 
A dear little plant lay fast asleep. 
'Wake !' said the sunshine, 'and creep to the light.' 
'Wake!' said the voice of the raindrops bright. 
The little plant heard, and it rose to see 
What the great, round, beautiful world might be." 

"Daffy-down-dilly is now come to town 
With a petticoat green, and a gay gown." 

"The rain is raining all around, 
It falls on field and tree, 
It rains on the umbrellas here, 
And on the ships at sea." 

(Robert Louis Stevenson.) 

Prayer : 

There is no prayer more heartfelt than the one which 
thanks God for the growing things of the spring: "Dear 
heavenly Father, we thank you for sending the rain and the 
sunshine to make the flowers grow in the spring." 

Handwork : 

With crayon and paper even the smallest child will ex- 
press his joy in the colors of the spring flowers with masses 
that he calls dandelions or tulips or violets. Perhaps he will 
draw also the green grass and trees. Water colors and 
brushes may be given to the children, and they may sug- 
gest the colors of spring in washes. 

Service : 

As the children gather the flowers, they will bring them 
as gifts to the teacher or to mother. The teacher always 
should welcome and treasure every such gift, for this is an 
opportunity for the child to express love and to give happi- 
ness to others. Some of the flowers may be sent to the play- 



JESUS THE MAN 215 

mate who is ill, to the little crippled girl or to the children 
in the city school who have no wild flowers and scarcely ever 
a garden flower. 

Spring in the Home and on the Playground 

The home is busy with the spring activities of taking off 
the storm windows, uncovering flower beds, cleaning house, 
and buying and making spring clothes. The little child will 
want to tell about all these things. The teacher can en- 
courage him to help in every way he can — running errands, 
looking after the baby, and cleaning the doll house, for ex- 
ample. 

He is also very happy over his new spring clothes. The 
teacher and the children must share the joy over each new 
hat, coat, pair of socks or slippers as they appear. Again the 
child can be led to remember father's and mother's part in pro- 
viding him with these things, as well as the part of the store- 
keeper or the tailor. 

In the spring too there are many games that children play, 
and over which they are happy. The new roller skates, the 
bag of marbles, the top, the hoop, the balloon are all evident 
at this season and mean so much to the child that he should 
have the opportunity to express his gratitude and show his 
treasures to the rest. 

Activity and song: 

The children will like the following little game, in which 
they form a circle and sing: 

"In the spring, in the spring, 
Children playing, children playing, 
In the spring, in the spring, 
Children playing laugh and sing. 
And they all do this way ; 
Yes, they all do this way." 



216 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

One child shows them some action and all imitate. Such 
activities as jumping rope, playing marbles, bouncing ball, 
roller skating may be suggested by different children. 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Handwork : 

Poster pictures may be made of children engaged in the 
various spring activities. Colored paper may be furnished 
and objects cut out by the teacher and the children and mounted 
to tell the spring story. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for all the fun that 
we have in the spring and for our new spring clothes. Bless 
father and mother and everyone who helps to make us happy. 



LESSON XLIX 

GLAD EASTER IS HERE 

Easter is the culmination of the previous month's stories 
and talks. It may be a very childlike festival celebrating the 
new life after the winter's barrenness, and associated with 
the love of Jesus for the children and theirs for him. Flowers 
may be brought for the children who are ill in the hospital or 
at home, and a happy flower processional may be held by sing- 
ing children and teachers, each with an offering of flowers. 
On these festival occasions the prayer of thanksgiving and 
praise has an added fervor. 

Songs and conversation: 

As the children come on a spring morning they bring with 
them, if where they can secure them at all, bunches of garden 
or wild flowers for the teacher and to make the room beauti- 
ful. If they have no flowers to bring, the teacher should make 
every effort to bring to them at least one blossom each time 
they meet, that speaks of spring. If the environment is rich 
in nature resources, there will be much to talk about concern- 
ing the birds and flowers; if it is limited, there will still be the 
sun and the rain and such flowers as the teacher may bring. 
These will be the more highly treasured and are enough to 
speak of the wonder and goodness of God. 

The songs and the verses that have been learned may be used 
as they are most appropriate. "Now It Is Spring" and the sun 
and rain songs are perhaps the most often in use. 

Rhythm: 

The rhythmic game "Children Playing'' may be asked for 
as the children review their spring experiences or they may 
wish to play "flying birds" or the "flowers coming up." 

217 



218 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Hymns: 

When the hearts of the children are warm with gratitude 
for the loveliness of spring the piano may play softly, "God 
Loves Me." 

"Little bird and flower and bee 
Tell me that God loves me. 
Sun and wind and rain all three 

Tell me that God loves me. 
Moon and stars at night I see 
Tell me that God loves me." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Picture Review : 

The picture of Jesus blessing children may be looked at 
again, the children telling the story if they so desire. The 
picture of "The Triumphal Entry" may also be shown and the 
expression of love for Jesus emphasized. If the spring lessons 
have been rightly presented to the children, there will be such 
a wealth of love for Jesus from the children that it will be 
spontaneously expressed in a chorus of little voices, "I love 
him," "I love him!" 

Conversation about Easter : 

The teacher may ask the children if they know what glad 
day is coming. They may introduce the subject of Easter 
without any question from her, however, and tell either now 
or earlier of the Easter plans, particularly of the eggs, the 
bunnies and all the other joys of childhood connected with the 
day. She can lead them to speak of the church service with 
its lovely music and flowers and can interpret the day as one 
of gratitude for the spring and for the love of the Lord Jesus. 

Easter Hymn : 

The hymn, "Glad Easter Time Is Here," may be sung 



GLAD EASTER IS HERE 219 

to the children. They will readily join in singing it after the 
experiences of the hour. 

"Be of cheer! Glad Easter time is here! 
The church bells all are ringing 
And children's voices singing! 
Be of cheer ! Glad Easter time is here !" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Conversation about service : 

The teacher may tell about the children who are ill in the 
hospital or in their homes and who cannot go into the beauti- 
ful out-of-doors to see the birds and flowers. If the picture 
is skillfully painted, the children will immediately want to 
bring flowers for these children, for by this time in the year 
the habit of giving has been well established and causes much 
joy. Together teacher and children may plan for the Easter 
flower offering. The children may bring cut flowers or little 
potted plants, whichever seems more feasible. If the hospital 
is near, the children may plan to walk over with their flowers, 
waiting outside while the teacher takes them in; if it is at a 
distance, they will think of the expressman who took their 
Thanksgiving gift. 

Handwork : 

Crayon and paper may be supplied and each child may draw 
a picture of the flower he wants to bring while the teacher 
writes notes to mother about the offering. As the children 
draw they will spontaneously burst into song and the teacher 
can from time to time lead in the singing of the new Easter 
song. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the glad Easter 
time, for the flowers, the birds, the sun, and the rain. Help 
us to make the little sick children happy. 



LESSON L 

THE EASTER FESTIVAL 

When the children have assembled, each will want the other 
to see his flowers. Moreover, the mood is one of such joy that 
the children can scarcely keep still. The flower processional 
in which all march carrying their flowers or potted plants gives 
the needed expression and is so beautiful a sight that no one 
who sees it will ever forget. In and out and round about they 
go while a festival march is played on the piano, such as 
"Marching in School,'' from The Rhythms of Childhood, by 
Crawford and Fogg. 

Conversation and song : 

After the processional each child may have a chance to tell 
about his flower — its name, color, about where he got it, or 
any other bit of experience. The children may have the op- 
portunity to smell the different flowers in order to enjoy the 
lovely odors. As the children talk, now one song and then 
another may be appropriately sung. 

The gift: 

They may talk about the children in the hospital or the 
homes who are to enjoy the flowers. The teacher may tell 
them about these children if she has been able to visit them. 
When the children feel somewhat acquainted, the teacher may 
get pen and letter paper and let the children dictate a let- 
ter about the flowers which can be sent with them. When the 
letter is finished, teacher and children may walk to the hospital 
if it is near by, the children, of course, waiting outside while 
the teacher takes in the gift. If it is not practical to walk 
to the hospital, the expressman may be called or a delivery 

220 



THE EASTER FESTIVAL 221 

boy who can carry the flowers which the children deliver to 
him. 

Excursion : 

If an excursion to the hospital cannot be arranged, per- 
haps it will be possible to take the children into one of the 
churches, where they may hear the beautiful Easter music 
played on the organ and may see the Easter flowers or 
decorations. Such reverence will show in the children's faces 
and manner, and such deep interest in father's and mother's 
church that the visit will repay the effort in making arrange- 
ments. 

For the city child it is often a great pleasure to walk past the 
florist's shop at Easter time and stop to examine the beauti- 
ful flowers in the window. Some one of these three excursions 
may be arranged. 

Hymns: 

The children will want to sing their own Easter hymn and 
"Jesus Loves Me," and "Praise Him." The pictures from the 
life of Jesus with which the children are familiar are on the 
screen as well as the incidental spring pictures. 

Story: 

If a story is desired, the following one using illustrative 
nature material can be told. We may call it "The Easter 
Lily" : 

One day Aunt Betty brought little Betty an Easter present. 
It was still winter, for the snow was on the ground. "I have 
an Easter present for you, Betty, and you can never guess what 
it is." 

Little Betty looked very wise, for she was five years old and 
she remembered last Easter. "Is it a rabbit?" she asked. 

Aunt Betty shook her head. 



222 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"A chicken?" 

Still Aunt Betty shook her head. 

"An Easter card?" 

"No!" 

Well, what could it be, and why did Aunt Betty bring it now 
when the snow was on the ground and Easter was many Sun- 
days away? 

"Unwrap this package," said Aunt Betty, "and then you 
will know more about it." 

Little Betty unwrapped the brown paper and found in- 
side a round ball about as big as her own fist, and darker 
brown than the paper. It looked just like this. (The teacher 
may hold up a lily bulb.) 

"O Aunt Betty," said little Betty in a tone of great dis- 
appointment, "that's only an onion." 

"Not an onion," said Aunt Betty, "but I am not going to 
tell you what it is. Are you a good soldier? Can you take 
orders?" 

"Indeed I can," said Betty, saluting. 

"Take your present and put it in that pot of dirt, cover it 
over carefully, water it well and put it in a dark corner in the 
basement." Betty obeyed the orders to the letter. When 
Betty had finished, "Now what shall I do?" she asked. 

"Wait," said Aunt Betty, "as many weeks as you have 
fingers on one hand. Then bring your pot out of the basement 
and put it in the sunny window here in the living room. Water 
it every day, and we shall see what we shall see !" 

Betty counted the fingers on her hand to make sure that 
she had five, and she begged mother to help her keep count 
of the weeks. Every Sunday she would ask, "Now is it time to 
bring my pot out of the basement?" And every week mother 
would reply, "In three weeks," or "Two weeks," or "One 
week." Finally the day came when mother said, "Yes, you 
may get the pot to-day." 



THE EASTER FESTIVAL 223 

When Betty brought it up to the living room, at first she 
could not see that anything had happened. Finally she dis- 
covered a tiny shoot of a sort of brownish yellow. Betty set 
the pot in the window where the sun shone on it, and she 
watered it well every day. The shoot grew taller, it became 
green, and finally long ribbonlike leaves unfolded. One morn- 
ing Betty discovered a small green bud, and then another on 
the same stalk. It was almost Easter when these appeared and 
Betty watched them many times a day. They grew longer and 
larger and whiter. 

One morning they opened — beautiful white Easter lilies 
with hearts of gold and a perfume so sweet that father and 
mother as well as Betty and the baby drew in great whiffs of 
their fragrance ! When Aunt Betty came to visit them on 
Easter Sunday the Easter lily was at the window to welcome 
her and little Betty was at the door. "O Aunt Betty," said 
little Betty, "I love you for giving me the Easter lily!" 

The teacher may conclude the story by bringing in an 
Easter lily which the children will now appreciate as never 
before. They will want to smell its fragrance, to find its 
heart of gold. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the Easter lily, for 
all the beautiful spring flowers and everything that makes us 
glad to-day. May the little sick children be happy too. 

Dismissal : 

The children may sing, "Easter Time Is Here" and "Now 
It Is Spring." Each child may choose a flower to take home, 
a violet or a daffodil or a narcissus. Just one will be a great 
treasure and will complete the morning's experience for this 
little child who loves to share, but whose love for receiving 
as well as giving we must never forget. 



LESSON LI 

THE GARDEN 

It has been said that "the life of childhood may become 
gradually and almost unconsciously transformed by Christian 
ideals at work in such small matters as watering a thirsty plant 
or protecting a dumb animal." If the child cannot plant out- 
doors, he can plant in a box, an eggshell, a clay bowl indoors. 
The lesson learned by this actual experience in gardening is 
worth hours of talk about it. 

' 'Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod 
And waits to see it push away the clod, 
Trusts in God !" 

Excursion : 

If a garden is being planted and tended anywhere in the 
neighborhood, the teacher may take the children to watch 
the gardener. They will be deeply interested in any part of 
the process which they may observe — the digging, the raking, 
the planting, the watering or the weeding. 

Conversation and pictures: 

After the observation the childien will want to talk over 
what they have seen and the gardens that are being made at 
home. Especially proud and happy will the children be who are 
having some share in the garden. Pictures may be shown of 
children making or tending their gardens. By questions as 
well as by her interest the teacher may stimulate the children 
to bring out every step in the gardening process. They know 

224 



THE GARDEN 225 

God's part in the sending of rain and sunshine because of the 
observations, talks, and stories that have already come in 
the spring lessons. 

Songs : 

The songs about flowers, about the sun, and the rain may 
be brought in during the talk and picture study, also the 
song, "God Loves Me." 

Story: Danny's Garden. 

One afternoon in the spring Father came home from the 
office early to make a garden. Danny followed him out in 
the yard, watched him spade up the piece of ground and then 
break up the clods of earth and rake until all was smooth as 
a floor. 

"What makes you do that, Daddy?" said Danny. 

"I have to make the ground soft," said Father, " for other- 
wise these little seeds could never grow." 

Then Father took some packages with bright-colored pic- 
tures of radishes and lettuce and peas out of his pocket. He 
tore the end off one package and poured the tiny seeds out in 
his hand. "See how little they are, Danny!" he said. Then 
with a stick he made a trough and sprinkled the seed in it. 
After he had carefully covered them with earth, he put up 
a slat at the end and marked "Lettuce" on it. Then he planted 
the radishes and the peas in the same way. 

After dinner that night Danny climbed up on Father's lap 
and whispered very softly in his ear so that no one else could 
hear, "Daddy, could I please have a garden?" 

"Well," said Father aloud as if he were considering, "we'll 
see about it." 

The next afternoon when Father came home he called for 
Danny. He had a long package. "Danny," said he, "I be- 
lieve that you might like to see what we have here." 



226 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Then Father cut the string with his pocketknife, and inside 
the package Danny found a little spade and rake and hoe. 

"O Daddy," cried Danny, "I am going to make a garden 1" 
Father gave Danny a little piece of ground beside his big 
piece, and Danny spaded and raked his ground until it was 
smooth as a floor. Then Father took him down to the seed 
store and let him buy some of the packages with the bright- 
colored pictures. He bought some carrots for his bunny, some 
pumpkins for himself, and some flowers for mother. When 
he had planted his seed, Father got the hose and watered his 
garden, and Danny took the hose and watered his garden. 

Every evening Father and Danny worked in their gardens 
unless it rained. When the carrots and pumpkins and nastur- 
tiums — for those were the flowers Danny chose for mother — 
came up, Danny was so happy that he danced an Irish jig — 
at least that was what Father called it. 

Then by and by there came the day when the first bud 
opened on one of the nasturtium plants into a lovely red 
flower. Danny could wait no longer ; he picked the flower and 
gave it to mother. And mother said that it was the prettiest 
flower anybody had ever given her. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for sending sun and 
rain to make the garden grow. Bless the gardens that we 
plant. 

Handwork : 

If an out-of-door garden is practicable, enough spades 
and rakes of the proper size might be borrowed from a 
kindergarten or a few sets could be purchased. The children 
might then dig and rake and plant. For children of this age 
a cooperative garden is more successful than an individual one 
for each child, as they are not responsible in the sense that 



THE GARDEN 227 

the primary child is capable of being. Little watering cans 
can be provided with which the children may water their gar- 
dens. The digging and the raking will occupy one period 
and the planting will take place at a later period. 

If an outdoor garden cannot be provided, the children may 
make clay pots in which to plant indoors. A piece of clay 
may be furnished each child about as big as a small apple. 
It may be rolled into a round form, the thumb pressed in the 
center and the clay then pressed out on every side to give 
the proper size. A pencil or meat skewer may be used to 
make the hole in the bottom of the pot for drainage. The 
pots may then be set where they can thoroughly dry. When 
dry the children can paint them with bathtub enamel which 
is impervious to water. Any color desired may be mixed with 
the white enamel. The enamel must also be given time to 
dry, so that the making of the pot and the planting might 
well occupy three handwork periods. 



LESSON LII 

THE GARDEN (Continued) 

The children will come with more to tell about the home 
gardens and those that they have observed. The teacher can 
talk with them further concerning the care of the garden — 
the weeding, the gathering of flowers and vegetables, and the 
watering. 

Pictures : 

The pictures may be studied again and other pictures of 
gardens added. 

Dramatization : 

The children may enjoy playing that two or three chil- 
dren are gardeners and that other children are the bulbs 
which they plant after preparing the soil. Then the gardeners 
water, the sun shines warm, and the flowers begin to grow. 
The gardeners go about in the garden, now and then stop- 
ping to admire a flower or to name the flowers for the teacher 
who comes as a visitor to the garden. 

Story: 

The children may like to hear the story of "Danny's Garden" 
again or perhaps they will prefer "The Easter Lily." 

Handwork : 

If the pots are ready for the planting, the teacher and chil- 
dren may go to the florist and select the seed. Nasturtiums 
are hardy, they are bright in color and they come up very 

228 




o 
o 

w 

o 
w 

B 



THE GARDEN 229 

quickly and bloom profusely. The children can help to dig 
up the dirt for the planting. Large tin spoons may be pro- 
vided or trowels so that each child may have a turn to put 
the dirt in his own pot after he has put a stone over the hole 
in the bottom. He may then plant his seed and cover it well 
with dirt. The little watering can may be used and each child 
may water his own seeds. It is well to let the children have at 
least three seeds each to be reasonably sure that one grows. 

Prayer : 

After the planting the children may pray : Dear God, please 
send the sunshine for our seeds and help us remember to water 
them well. 



LESSON LIII 

THE WIND, A PLAYFELLOW 

The wind is responsible for many of the child's best spring 
games and plays. Questions about the wind are often asked by 
the children — "Where does the wind come from?" "Who 
makes the wind?" or "What makes the wind?" The answer 
which satisfies at this age is "God sends the wind." Out-of- 
door observation and experience is necessary to make these 
lessons vital. If God can be associated with all such experi- 
ences, then he becomes really a part of the child's life. 

Conversation : 

On some windy day the children come in breathless and 
begin to tell of their experiences : 

"The wind blew my hat off." 

"It almost pulled my coat off." 

"I couldn't stay on the sidewalk." 

"It blew the newspaper away from a man." 

Then the teacher and the children may go to the window 
and look out, noting everything that the wind is blowing : 
leaves on the trees, clothes on some mother's line, smoke from 
an engine, sails on a boat. The children will tell too about 
big brother's kite, the balloons, or the pinwheels which they 
have had. 

Song: 

When the children are full of interest in the wind and 
the things that it does, the teacher may sing to them the 
song of "The Wild Wind." 

230 



THE WIND, A PLAYFELLOW 



231 



"Hear the wild wind whisper in the leaves, 

Woo-00-00, 
Hear the wild wind whistle round the eaves, 

Woo-00-00. 
Now it blows the kites on high, 
Drives the clouds across the sky. 
Hear the wild wind whistle round the eaves, 

Woo-00-00, 
Hear the wild wind whisper in the leaves, 

Woo-00-00." (Songs for the Little Child.) 

After they have sung the song they may raise the windows 
and listen to the sound of the wind. They may look for the 
clouds blowing across the sky. 

Handwork : 

Nothing gives greater joy to a child on a windy day 
than a pinwheel. Pieces of bright colored paper 5 by 
5 inches may be given the children. The paper may first 

Pin Wheel 





5x5 inches 




N> 


V 

• \ 


A 


y 




^N 




Cut to 1 inch of center 



be folded once to make a large triangle, then again to make a 
smaller triangle. Opening out the paper, two diagonal lines 
may be seen. A pair of scissors is given each child; he then 
cuts from each corner on the diagonal line within an inch 



232 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

of the center of the paper. Stout sticks of soft wood about 
eight inches long are furnished; the child (or the teacher 
if this proves difficult for the child) passes the pin through one 
side of every corner piece, on through the center and securely 
into the wood, leaving, however, enough of the pin above the 
wood to give the paper free movement. 

Excursion : 

When the pinwheels are finished, the children may go out 
of doors and run with them in the wind. Such fun as they 
will have and such wonder will be theirs if they have never had 
this experience with the wind before. 

Dismissal : 

If they return indoors before going home, they will be in 
a mood to thank God for the pleasure of the morning. The 
song about "The Wind" may be sung again after which 
the following prayer may be used : "Dear Father in heaven, 
we thank you for sending the wind and for the good times 
that it gives us. We thank you too for the good work which 
it does for us." 



LESSON LIV 

THE WIND, A PLAYFELLOW (Continued) 

On some other day when the wind is blowing, the teacher 
and the children may talk again about the wind. The children 
will have made more observations. They will enjoy singing 
"The Wind" song. 

Experiment : 

The teacher may ask them if they can catch the wind. Some 
of them will think that they can; so she may give as many 
as wish to try boxes with tight fitting lids. They may go 
out one at a time where the wind seems to be most evident 
and try to capture it in the box. They will return, some of 
them knowing that they have failed, others sure that they 
have succeeded. When these last open the boxes and find 
that the flowers or a handkerchief do not stir, that there is 
no sound, a look of wonder will come into their faces. 

Verse : 

The following verse from Christina Rossetti may be used 
at this time : 

"Who has seen the wind? 
Neither I nor you. 
But when the leaves hang trembling, 
The wind is passing through. 

"Who has seen the wind? 
Neither you nor I. 
But when the trees bow down their heads, 
The wind is passing by." 

233 



234 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Dramatization : 

The children will like to play that they are trees and flowers, 
while the piano or the teacher gives the sound of the wind. 
Then the trees and flowers will bow down. 

Story: 

This story of "A Journey with the Wind" may be told : 

Once upon a time there was a little child who never was 
satisfied. Wherever she was she wished that she were some- 
where else. One summer day she sat in the yard blowing soap 
bubbles. A passing breeze lifted one of the rainbow tinted 
bubbles and sped with it toward the sun. "Oh," said the dis- 
contented little girl, "how I wish the wind would carry me 
to the sun." 

No sooner had she made the wish than a gust of wind lifted 
her up as if she had been thistledown and bore her away to the 
sun. When she reached the sun, the light was so bright that 
she could not see, her tongue parched for water, but there was 
not a drop anywhere, and her feet blistered when she set them 
down. "Oh," cried the little girl, "I wish the wind would carry 
me to the moon. I don't like staying at the sun !" 

No sooner had she made the wish than a gust of wind lifted 
her up as if she had been thistledown and bore her away 
to the moon. When she reached the moon it was so cold that 
her hands and feet became icy and she began to feel very 
drowsy although she struggled to keep awake. "Oh-o," she 
said sleepily, "I w-wish the wind would carry me to the b-bright 
little star over there. I don't like staying at the moon." 

No sooner had she made the wish than a gust of wind lifted 
her up as if she had been thistledown and bore her away to 
the star. When she reached the star it seemed very far to the 
earth ; there were no other little bo}^s or girls there and she be- 
gan to cry for her mother. "Oh-o-oh," she sobbed, "I wish the 



THE WIND, A PLAYFELLOW 235 

wind would carry me home to my mother. I don't like staying 
at the star." 

No sooner had she made the wish than a gust of wind lifted 
her up as if she had been thistledown and bore her away home. 
She had scarcely arrived when she heard her dear mother 
say, "Well, well, is this the way my little girl blows soap 
bubbles. Taking a nap I do declare." 

At this she opened her eyes very wide. "I wasn't taking a 
nap, mother, but a long, long journey. I am so glad to be at 
home with you again." 

Now which was it, a really truly journey or a journey in 
dreamland? Do you know? 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you most of all for home 
and mother. 



LESSON LV 

THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS 

The curiosity and wonder of a little child as he approaches 
the life that peoples the air, the stream, and the wood is be- 
yond description. A three-year-old stood before some baby 
chicks that had been brought to Sunday school. At first he 
watched them intently, then he began to imitate their peeping, 
after that he gently touched them, and finally with a most lov- 
ing expression on his face he kissed them repeatedly. Several 
weeks might profitably be devoted to the material suggested 
here. What is given may supply ideas for a study that shall 
continue through the summer. The teacher should select, how- 
ever, that which is in the child's environment or which can be 
brought to him. 

Observation: Birds nesting. 

When the birds first return in the spring the nesting ac- 
tivities are not immediately evident. The child's interest for 
a few weeks is, rather, in the naming of the different birds 
as they appear and in feeding them and noting their calls. But 
soon some child will see birds building a nest in his birdhouse 
or in a tree in his or a neighboring yard. It is an experience 
to be greatly desired if it is possible to take all the children 
to watch the nest building. Perhaps the process of the new 
life in the nest may be watched day by day. If there is no such 
good fortune at hand, the teacher may bring in one or more 
empty nests, explaining how she has secured them — the birds, of 
course, having left them the fall before. The children will ex- 
amine these nests carefully, noting the straw, the twigs, the 
mud, the hair, or the hay which compose them. They may 
feel inside the nest, especially if it is lined with some soft 

236 



THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS 237 

material like wool or downy feathers. Pictures of birds build- 
ing the nest, of the mother-bird sitting on the eggs, of the 
father-bird bringing her food, and the like may be used as 
valuable supplementary material. 

Conversation : 

In connection with this observation much interesting con- 
versation will take place. By question and suggestion the 
teacher may draw from the children where the nests of dif- 
ferent birds which they already know are built — in the trees, 
bushes, grasses, under the house eaves, and in the birdhouses. 
Of what the nest is built and how the little birds weave it 
may also be brought out. The fact that little children some- 
times help to furnish birds with material for nest building 
can be suggested in the talk or by a story like "The Brown 
Birds," in Maude Lindsay's Story Garden. 

When the nest is completed, the wonderful story of the egg 
begins. "Where do the eggs come from?" and "How do the 
little birds come from the eggs?" are frank questions which 
ought to be answered as frankly as they are asked. "It takes 
a father and a mother-bird," said one teacher, "to make a nest 
home just as it takes a father and mother to make your home. 
The mother bird lays the eggs in the nest. They come from a 
little sack in her body. She keeps the eggs warm by covering 
them carefully with her feathers, and when the little birds 
are grown inside the eggs so that they can live outside then 
they peck the egg shell until it breaks to let them out." If the 
children do not ask for all of this information it need not be 
given in such detail. 

The growth of the baby birds in the nest, the feed- 
ing until they can leave the nest, and finally the teach- 
ing to fly continue to furnish interesting material for 
conversation. The wonderful care of the parent birds and the 
wonderful provision of God for the life of these little creatures 



2^8 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 



o 



will appear through the observations and talks. Again and 
again the child will be reminded of the care of God and of 
father and mother for him. 

Song: 

"Sing, Bluebird, Sing," is a beautiful nesting song that can 
be used : 

"Sing, bluebird, sing, 
And tell us it is spring! 
Your little mate is on her nest, 
Four blue eggs beneath her breast. 
Sing, bluebird, sing!" 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 
Story: 

Among the many stories which might be told in this con- 
nection there is none that wins greater favor from the chil- 
dren than "Out of the Nest," in More Mother Stories, by 
Maude Lindsay. It includes the frog and the dove too as well 
as the child in his relation to the world of living things : 

Once upon a time a mother-bird and father-bird built a nest 
in a tree. It was made of straw and leaves and all sorts of 
wonderful things, and even had lace trimmings on it. 

Soon after the nest was finished, the mother-bird put two 
eggs in it, and then she and father-bird thought of nothing 
but keeping those eggs safe and warm. 

Mother-bird sat upon them day and night; and even when 
father-bird would say, "You really must fly about a little and 
let me take care of the eggs," she did not like to leave them. 

After a while two little birds came out of the shells — which 
was just what she had been hoping for all the long time. The 
baby birds were both so weak and small that they could do 
nothing at all for themselves but open their mouths very wide 
and call "Peep, peep! mother dear, peep!" Mother-bird and 
father-bird were busy all day getting them something to eat. 



THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS 239 

By and by, they began to grow; and then they had soft 
feather clothes to wear, which are the best clothes in the world 
for baby birds. 

Mother-bird said to them one day : "You are almost ready to 
learn to fly"; and then they felt very large. 

That same day, mother-bird and father-bird flew away to- 
gether to get something for dinner; and while they were gone 
the little birds heard a very queer noise which seemed to come 
from a pond near their tree. This is the way it sounded : "Ker- 
chunk ! Kerchunk !" 

"O what can it be?" said the sister bird. 

"I'll peep over the side of the nest and see," said her brother. 

But when he put his head out he could see nothing, although 
he heard the sound very plainly — "Kerchunk! Kerchunk!" 
Then he leaned out a little farther and a little farther, till his 
head was dizzy. 

"Peep, peep! You'll fall!" cried the sister bird; and, sure 
enough, she had scarcely said it before he tumbled out of the 
nest, down, down to the ground ! 

He was not hurt, but oh, how frightened he was! "Peep, 
peep ! mother dear, peep !" he cried. 

"Peep!" cried the sister bird up in the nest; but the mother 
and father were too far away to hear their calls. 

The brother bird hopped about on the ground and looked 
around him. He was near the pond now, and the sound was 
very loud — "Kerchunk! Kerchunk! Kerchunk!" 

"Peep, peep, peep!" called the birdie; and in a moment 
up hopped a big frog. 

This was an old school-teacher frog, and he had been teach- 
ing all the little frogs to sing. He hopped right up to the 
brother bird. "Kerchunk! Kerchunk!" said he. "How can I 
teach my frogs to sing when you are making such a noise?" 

"Peep, peep ! I want my mamma," said the baby bird. 

Then the big frog saw how young the birdie was, and he 



2 4 o THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

was sorry for him. "Come with me," he said, "and I will 
teach you to sing." 

But the baby bird only cried louder than ever at this, and 
a mother-dove, who was singing her babies to sleep in a neigh- 
boring tree, flew down to see what could be the matter. 

"I can't begin to get my children to sleep in all this fuss," 
she said to the frog; but when she saw the little bird she was 
just as sorry as the frog had been. 

"Poor, dear baby," she cried; "I will fly right off and find 
your mamma for you." So she told her children to be good 
and quiet, and then away she flew. 

Before long she met the father and mother and they all came 
back in a great hurry. Then they tried to get the baby bird 
into the nest again. 

"He's entirely too young to be out of the nest," cried his 
mother, "and he must get in again at once." 

"Spread your wings and fly as I do," said the father-bird. 

So the baby bird spread his wings and tried to fly; but, try 
as he would, he could not reach the nest in the tree. 

"Put him into my school and I will teach him to swim," 
said the frog; "that is better than flying, and a great deal easier 
to learn, I am sure." 

This was so kind in the frog that the mother-bird thanked 
him; but she said that she had to be very careful with her 
children, and that she was afraid the water might give the little 
bird a cold. 

While they were talking, they heard somebody coming 
along, whistling the jolliest tune ! 

"Dear me! Dear me!" cried the birds. "There comes a 
boy !" 

"He's apt to have stones in his pocket," said the frog. 

"He will carry my darling off and put him in a cage! O, 
fly, fly!" begged the mother-bird. But before the baby bird 
even had time to say "peep !" the boy came in sight. 



THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS 241 

Then the father-bird flew over the boy's head and the 
mother-bird down in front of him. The frog croaked and the 
dove cooed, but none of them could hide the little bird from 
him. 

"If you hurt him, I'll peck your eyes out!" cried the poor 
mother, who hardly knew what she was saying; but the boy 
picked the little bird up, just as if he did not hear her. 

u O what shall I do !" cried the mother-bird. 

Then the boy looked at her and at the baby bird and up in 
the tree where the nest was. 

"Coo, coo, coo ! I think I know what he's going to do," said 
the dove. 

"There's no telling," croaked the frog; and they all 
watched and wondered while the boy put the bird in his pocket 
and began to climb the tree. 

He swung himself from branch to branch, climbing higher 
all the time, until at last he reached the pretty nest where the 
sister bird waited for her mamma to come home. 

Mother-bird and father-bird flew to the top of the tree to 
watch the boy. 

"Suppose he should take her too," said the mother-bird. 

But what do you think he did ? — Yes, indeed ! He put the 
brother bird back in the nest, as well as the mother-bird 
could have done it herself ! 

"Thank you ! Thank you !" sang the mother and father, as 
the boy scrambled down again. 

"Peep, peep! Thank you!" called the little birds from the 
nest. 

"Coo, coo ! I knew," cried the dove. 

"Kerchunk! Kerchunk! I should like to have him in my 
school," said the frog as he hopped away to his pond. 

And that is the end of my story. 

1 Printed by permission of the author and the publishers, Milton Bradley 
Company. 



242 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Dramatization : 

The children may wish to dramatize the activity of father 
and mother-bird in building the nest, the coming out of two 
or more baby birds, the feeding and the learning to fly. They 
may also suggest dramatizing the story "Out of the Nest." 
The action may begin with the two little birds in the nest 
(made by putting two chairs together). The frog croaks, 
one bird falls from the nest and begins to cry. The mother 
dove comes cooing and flies for mother and father-bird. They 
return but cannot get the little bird in the nest. The boy ap- 
pears for the rescue. 

Handwork : 

Clay may be given to the children out of which nests and 
eggs can be made. Possibly a few of the children will attempt 
to model the mother-bird to sit upon the eggs. A ball may 
be molded very easily from the clay, the thumb pressed in 
and the hole thus enlarged to the necessary size for the 
nest. Birds, birdhouses, nests in the trees may be drawn with 
crayon on paper. If there is a set of large blocks in the room, 
a birdhouse may be built. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the birds. We are 
glad that the father and mother-birds take good care of the 
baby birds. May we be kind to the birds : 



LESSON LVI 

THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS (Continued) 

In the fall it was suggested that caterpillars be kept in 
the room so that the children might observe the making of 
the cocoon. If the cocoons are not spun in the room, perhaps 
some may be found outside and brought in later by the teacher. 
They are mysterious objects which the children watch during 
the winter until the spring day when the stir of life is visible 
in them. If the children sprinkle them from time to time in 
the spring with warm water, the butterfly will emerge more 
easily and will be more perfect. Fortunate the children who 
have the opportunity of watching every step of that emergence 
from the moment that the wet, bedraggled object crawls out of 
the opening in the cocoon until with wings of exquisite tissue 
it flits about the room, hovering over the flowers. The wonder 
of the children passes words. They watch it, they feed it with 
drops of sweetened water and by and by they will be glad 
to open the window and let it disappear in the freedom and 
the sunshine of the out-of-doors. It is a symbol which un- 
consciously brings the meaning of the transformation of 
life. 

Verse : 

They will like to say many times the poem of Rossetti's 
learned before : 

"Brown and furry, 
Caterpillar in a hurry, 
Take your walk 
To the shady leaf or stalk. 

243 



244 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"May no toad spy you, 
May the little birds pass by you, 
Spin and die 
To live again a butterfly." 

Song: 

As the butterfly flits among the flowers in the room or as 
the children watch the butterfly outdoors, they may sing: 

"Down among the flowers and grasses 
Is a lovely butterfly, 
Flitting lightly as a sunbeam 

While the summer hours pass by." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Dramatization : 

With hands meeting above the head, moving up and down, 
and with a flitting dance movement the children will imitate 
the butterfly's flight. The music of the song may be played 
as an accompaniment for their activity, using a quicker tempo. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the lovely butter- 
fly. 

Handwork : 

The children can crayon freehand the caterpillar, the 
cocoon, the butterfly. They can use the butterfly colors in 
the paints, making washes of these lovely colors. They may 
then cut out and mount butterflies afterwards from this paper. 
Perhaps some of the older children will be skillful enougb 
to attempt to paint the butterfly form. 



LESSON LVII 

THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS (Continued) 

When the children are in the garden or the woods as sum- 
mer approaches they will often come in contact with the bee. 
This contact may not always be a pleasant one — all the more 
they need to know the lessons that the bee teaches. With a 
little guidance from the teacher, the honeybee will prove a 
very interesting study. Even the small child can see her get- 
ting honey from the flowers, can note the tongue which she 
projects into the heart of the flower, and can be told about 
the pollen bags and sack of honey. A beehive ought to be 
visited too, for the children love to watch the bees going in 
and out the opening. A comb of honey may be purchased at 
the store and carefully examined before it is used for the honey 
party. Pictures may supplement the observation. 

Song : 

The following song about "The Bee" will stimulate conver- 
sation concerning the whole process and will awaken the 
child's gratitude to the bee : 

"Hum, hum, hum, 
Bee, I hear you come, 
Buzzing, buzzing in the flowers 
Through the sunny summer hours. 
Hum, hum, hum, 
Bee, I hear you come. 

"Hum, hum, hum, 
Bee, I see you come, 
Bearing sweets that you have stolen, 
Sac of honey, bags of pollen. 

245 



246 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Hum, hum, hum, 
Bee, I see you come. 

"Hum, hum, hum, 
Bee, you still may come, 
For the honey that you gather 
I will eat with bread and butter. 
Hum, hum, hum, 
Bee, you still may come." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Verse : 

Christina Rossetti's verse about the bee connects him further 
with the child's life : 

"What does the bee do? 

Bring home honey. 
What does father do? 

Bring home money. 
And what does mother do? 

Lay out the money. 
And what does baby do? 

Eat up the honey." 

Party: 

A little party may be planned for the children with bread, 
butter, and honey. A very small amount of honey will give 
much pleasure. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for this food, es- 
pecially for the honey. We thank you for the bees and for 
everyone else who gives us our food. 



LESSON LVIII 

THE WORLD OF LIVING THINGS (Concluded) 

If there is a clear brook near at hand with fishes in it, the 
children will be fascinated as they watch the movements 
in the water. Some of them will want to catch a fish and 
bring it to land to play with. The teacher can then ex- 
plain why it is that the fish cannot live on the land. 
They may note the fish's head, its tail, its fins, its sleek and 
shining coat. They will like to scatter food on the water and 
watch it come up. If the brook cannot be visited, fish may 
be brought to the children in a globe. They love the gold- 
fish for their beautiful color as well as their tiny form and 
ceaseless movement. They will be very much interested in 
the fish food and especially in the small amount which the 
fish can have. 

Song: 

The children may sing over and over the song of the gold- 
fish as they watch them swim. 

"Like tiny flecks of light, 
In water clear and bright, 
Swiftly they dart about, 
Here and there, in and out, 
Like tiny flecks of light." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Prayer : 

' Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the pretty fishes. 
Help us to take good care of them. 

247 



LESSON LIX 

EVERY LIVING THING NEEDS CARE 

This is a continuation of the material just suggested. The 
child's interest may take the form of cruelty if the right di- 
rection is not given to it. Through stories and talks the pro- 
tective or nurture instinct is aroused. God's care for every 
living creature is suggested, and then how the child can help. 
This is in a sense a repetition of what has been presented 
in this series from time to time, but with the little child 
repetition is loved and needed to fix habits and attitudes. 
It will probably be better to choose either kittens or puppies 
for the lesson and not attempt to use both. 

Kittens 

Every little child has seen and heard kittens, and almost 
everyone has at some time had a kitten for a pet. One or more 
pictures of kittens will be sufficient to recall these experiences 
and to bring forth many anecdotes about the black kitten, the 
white kitten, the kitten that ran away, the kitten that played 
with the ball. The characteristics of the cat family will be 
well brought out in this conversation and also the care which 
the child gives his pet. The teacher can speak of the help- 
lessness of the baby kitten and how God has given this baby 
a mother who cares for it very tenderly, feeds it, bathes it and 
lets it snuggle close to her to keep warm. The children will 
enjoy the different pictures of kittens and will tell little stories 
about them. 

Game: 

After the kittens grow larger they sometimes hide from 

248 



EVERY LIVING THING NEEDS CARE 249 

the mother cat. She hunts for them calling, "Mew, mew." 
They answer her. The children will like to play this little 
game — one representing the mother cat and three or more 
playing that they are the kittens. While the mother cat sleeps 
the kittens hide. Then she wakens and misses them. She calls ; 
they answer until she discovers them. 

Song: 

The song, "Pretty Pussy" brings out the child's relation to 
the kitten. He will especially enjoy singing it when he feeds 
his kitten. 

"Pretty Pussy, mew, mew, mew, 
I know well what troubles you. 
You are very tired of playing, 
You are hungry — so you're saying. 
Pretty Pussy, mew, mew, mew, 
I'll soon have some milk for you." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Story : Five Little Kittens. 

Once upon a time there was a little old woman w r ho lived 
by herself in a wee house. Now, the little old woman had 
a mother cat who one day found herself the proud owner 
of five baby kittens; one was white, one was black, one was 
gray, one was black with white paws, and one was gray with a 
white nose. The little old woman gave the mother cat an 
extra saucer of cream for every meal, and she provided a big 
basket with a soft cushion for the family. 

Now, the little old woman had five small neighbors who 
dearly loved kittens. There were Ben and Joe and Ned; there 
were Sue and Baby Marie. Every day they came to see the 
kittens and every day they begged to take them home. Finally 
the little old woman said, "I'll give each of you one on con- 
dition that you promise to treat it well" 



250 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

"Give me the black one," begged Ned, "and I'll put it on a 
nice cushion by the fire." So the little old woman gave Ned 
the black one. ' 

"Give me the white one," pleaded Sue, "and it shall have 
plenty of milk to drink, for we have a Jersey cow." So the 
little old woman gave Sue the white one. 

"If you will only give me the gray one," said Joe, "I will 
let it have my ball to play with." So the little old woman gave 
Joe the gray one. 

"I haven't any ball," said Ben, "but I could fix a spool on 
a string if you would just give me the black one with the 
white paws." So the little old woman gave Ben the black one 
with the white paws. 

Then Baby Marie picked up the one that was left, the gray 
one with the white nose, and cuddled it in her arms. 

"Let her have it," said Sue. "See how gently she strokes its 
fur." So the little old woman gave the gray one with the 
white nose to Baby Marie. 

And that is how each kitten found a new home. As for the 
mother cat she still lives with the little old woman in the wee 
house, and maybe she'll have another family some day. Who 
knows ? 

Observation and nurture : 

If the children could be taken to see a family of kittens, 
could watch their cunning ways and feed them, it would be 
the best means by which to carry over this lesson. If the 
excursion cannot be arranged, perhaps one or more baby 
kittens can be brought to the room as visitors, and the care 
given them. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the mother cat 
and the kittens. Help us to take good care of them. 



EVERY LIVING THING NEEDS CARE 25.1 

Puppies 

All children are acquainted with dogs. Pictures, then, of 
dogs, particularly of young dogs or puppies, will interest 
them greatly and will bring forth the many experiences with 
this pet, his characteristics and habits. They will tell what he 
likes to eat, how he plays, how he follows his master, how 
he looks after the family. Each picture will lead to a story. 
The teacher may stress the helplessness of the baby puppies 
as she did that of the kittens and the care given them by their 
mother. How good God is to provide this care for them! 

Song: 

At an appropriate time as the children are relating experi- 
ences with their dogs, the song, "Bow, Wow, Wow" may 
be sung to them : 

"Bow-wow-wow ! 
Come scamper with me now. 
I'll chase the crows and scare the rooks 
And jump the fence and swim the brooks, 
And show you how, 
And show you how, 
And show you how, 
Bow-wow !" (Songs for the Little Child.) 

This song brings out the happy relation between the dog 
and his little master. 

Story: Shep. 

Since the day that Uncle Rob had given Shep, a baby 
puppy, to Dicky Boy, the two had never been separated. 
Everywhere that Dicky Boy went Shep went too. When 
Dicky Boy went to the store on an errand for Aunt Nell, Shep 
waited outside the door. When Dicky Boy swung in the big 
barn swing Shep ran back and forth at the side barking at 



252 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

the fun. When Dicky Boy lay asleep in his bed at night Shep 
guarded the house like the brave soldier that he was. 

But the day came when Aunt Nell told Uncle Rob that he 
would have to sell Shep because Dicky Boy gave him so many 
cookies and other things to eat that the pantry shelf was often 
bare and Dicky Boy let him into the house to track his dirty 
feet across Aunt Nell's freshly scrubbed kitchen floor. Uncle 
Rob looked very sober and Dicky Boy cried and begged, all to 
no avail. It was decided to sell Shep. 

That afternoon Dicky Boy and Shep went down to the river 
where Dicky Boy tried to forget his troubles by wading in the 
water. They had been gone some time, when Uncle Rob was 
startled by seeing Shep appear on the full run without Dicky 
Boy. Shep barked as hard as he could at Uncle Rob, running 
toward the river. When Uncle Rob did not follow, he came 
back jumping up and catching hold of his coat, barking all the 
while frantically. Finally Uncle Rob said, "What ails the dog 
anyway? I guess I had better go with him." 

Uncle Rob had to run to keep up with Shep and when he 
neared the river he saw a sight that made him redouble his 
pace. There was Dicky Boy out in the river feebly clinging to 
a piece of drift wood, with a white, scared face. It didn't take 
Uncle Rob a minute to pull off his coat and jump in after 
him. With powerful strokes he swam to Dicky Boy's rescue. 

When they reached home, Uncle Rob said to Aunt Nell, 
"Well, Nell, if it hadn't been for Shep, we should have no 
Dicky Boy to-night. I think we'll keep the dog." 

Aunt Nell was wiping the tears away ; she said not a word, 
but while she hugged Dicky Boy close she smiled kindly on 
Shep, even though at that moment he was tracking mud on her 
clean kitchen floor. 

Observation and nurture : 

If the children could see a litter of puppies and could feed 



EVERY LIVING THING NEEDS CARE 253 

them, it would be the best way in which to impress the les- 
son. Perhaps a puppy, or, failing this, an older dog, might 
visit the school for whom the children could care. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for dogs, for what 
they do for us. Help us to be kind to them. 



LESSON LX 

LITTLE CHICKENS 

If there is a hen with chickens near the school, the children 
may be taken to see them. Better still would be the bringing 
of the hen to the school if there is a suitable place to keep her. 
It will be a wonderful experience for the children if they may 
have the opportunity of putting the eggs under her, or feeding 
her during the time that she is sitting, and of watching the 
little chickens come out of the shells. The children will greatly 
enjoy caring for the baby chickens and seeing them grow. If 
the complete experience cannot be given them, then the mother 
hen — provided she is tame enough — may be brought with her 
chicks to the school for a visit some morning. The children 
will be able to observe the way the mother hen calls them with 
her "Cluck, cluck, cluck" ; the way the chicks answer with 
their "Peep, peep, peep" ; the way they run under her wings 
at the slightest alarm. The children will want to feed and 
watch them drink water. 

Conversation and song: 

Either at the time of the observation or later the children 
will talk over the experience. The teacher can bring out the 
care of the mother hen and the dependence of the little chicks 
on her and on the kindness of the children. The following 
song about "The Little Chickens" may be used : 

"Hear them peep, peep, peep, 
Little chickens, little chickens, 
Hear them peep, peep, peep; 

Under mother's wings they creep." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

254 



LITTLE CHICKENS 255 

This verse enlarges upon the idea brought out in the song: 

"Where do the little chickens run 

When they are afraid? 
Out of the light, out of the sun, 

Into the dark, into the shade, 
Under their mother's downy wing, 
No longer afraid of anything." 

Dramatization : 

The children may like to play mother hen calling her little 
chicks. One of the children or the teacher may represent 
the mother hen and six or more children, the chicks. The 
chicks play about and the mother hen calls them with her 
"Cluck, cluck." They run peeping under her outstretched 
arms. If this dramatization is used, it must be done with 
the real interest of the children and with sincerity. Any 
element of affectation or silliness would spoil the wonder and 
reverence of the children resulting from the observation. 

Prayer : 

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the mother hen 
and the little chickens. We thank you for caring for them 
and for caring for us. Help us to be good to them. 

Handwork : 

Some good picture of the hen and the chickens or of the 
feeding of the chickens such as "Feeding Her Hens," by 
Millet, may be given to each child and mounted to take home. 
If the chickens are brought to the children or the children 
taken to them, there will not, however, probably be time for 
handwork. 



LESSON LXI 

BABY RABBITS 

The children may be taken to visit a mother rabbit and 
her babies. They can see the house in which she lives, the nest 
of grass or hay lined with some of the mother's soft fur. 
They can watch the baby bunnies eat, hop, and raise their long 
ears. They will beg to touch them and to hold them. Each 
child may have a turn to feel the soft coats. If the excursion 
to see the rabbits cannot be arranged, perhaps one or two baby 
bunnies may be brought to visit the children. 

Conversation and song: 

The children will want to converse about the rabbits — their 
long ears, pink eyes, soft coats, button tails ; the food they eat ; 
their timidity; how fast they hop. They will like to sing to 
the rabbits : 

"Bunny, pretty bunny, why raise your long ears? 
You know me, little bunny, and what need for fears? 
I give you green cabbage and carrots and bread, 
And little house to live in with leaves for a bed." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Story: The Runaway Bunny. 

Once upon a time there was a little boy whose father gave 
him two little bunnies with pink eyes, white coats, and button 
tails. Then the little boy and his father made a wooden 
house that they called a hutch, and put it inside a wire cage 
so that nobody could hurt the bunnies or carry them away. 
Every morning, as soon as he had finished his breakfast, the 

256 




FEEDING THE BUNNIES 



BABY RABBITS 257 

little boy went out to feed them. Sometimes he took them 
carrots, and sometimes he took them cabbage, and always he 
took them crusts of bread. 

One morning when he went as usual to the hutch he found 
only one little lonesome bunny waiting for him. The other 
one was gone. Had someone taken it? No, for the lock was 
still on the cage. Had it squeezed through the wire? No, 
not even a bunny's soft little body could have come through 
such small openings. Just then the little boy spied a hole at 
the bottom of the cage behind the hutch. There was no wire 
on the bottom of the cage and evidently the bunny had dug 
himself a hole and had run away. 

Where had he gone? The little boy went all around the 
yard calling "Bunny, bunny, bunny," but no bunny could be 
found. He looked in the bushes, he looked in the barn, he 
looked under the porch; still he could not find that bunny. 
Tears came in his eyes when suddenly he brushed them away 
and began to run very fast toward the gate, for there was 
Robert, the neighbor's big boy, with something soft and white 
in his arms. Yes, it was the missing bunny ! 

"Here's the runaway," said Robert, "I found him eating 
the lettuce in my garden. I knew it was your bunny. How 
did he get out?" The little boy did not say a word at first; 
he hugged his bunny close while smiles chased away the tears. 
Then he showed Robert the hole in the ground and Robert 
offered to help him put some wire on the bottom of the cage 
so that mischievous little bunny would have to stay at home. 

Picture : 

The picture of "The Boy and the Rabbit," by Raeburn, 
is a lovely one to use at this time. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for all our pets, and 



258 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

especially for the bunnies. We will help you take good care 
of them. We love them. 

Dramatization : 

Sometimes children like to dramatize the hopping of the 
bunnies. They might play the story, or they might all 
be bunnies, and the teacher could represent the child who owned 
them. They might then hop away, hiding, and she might hunt 
until she found them all. 

Handwork : 

The children may model bunnies from clay if they are 
familiar enough with the rabbit form. They may have crayon 
and paper and draw rabbits, or they may have the floor blocks 
and build a rabbit hutch. 



LESSON LXII 

LAMBS 

Observation of the sheep, the lambs, the shepherd is al- 
together the best preparation for the use of this material. 
In the large cities there are usually sheep in one or more of 
the parks, while in small towns it is possible to take the chil- 
dren to the country to see them. Some ambitious teachers have 
secured a little lamb in the spring and kept it as a visitor at the 
school for a day or more. A few of the children have seen 
sheep and lambs at some time of travel in the country and 
will stimulate interest in the group through their contributions. 
Sheep pictures, of which there are a number of very beautiful 
ones showing the sheep in the fold, in the pasture, on the path, 
always can be secured and should be studied in connection 
with any discussion of the topic. The sheep are so dependent 
and trustful that they appeal greatly to the little child and 
elicit his loving interest and care. 

Conversation : 

In looking at the pictures there will be much conversa- 
tion about the habits of the sheep, the food they eat, the 
pastures where it is found, the sheepfold, the care of the 
shepherd, and the love of the sheep for him. The baby lambs 
are of the greatest interest to the children ; the dependence of 
them upon the mother sheep and the shepherd's tender care 
and watchfulness. The following verse by Christina Rossetti 
may be repeated as the children have had the experience with 
the birds as well as with the lambs : 

259 



260 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

Verse : 

"What can lambkins do 
All the keen night through? 
Cuddle by their woolly mother, 
The careful ewe. 

"What can nestlings do 
In the nightly dew? 
Sleep beneath their mother's wing 
Till day breaks anew." 

Conversation and song : 

The teacher may talk about the taking of the sheep to the 
pasture each morning and the return to the fold at night. She 
may show the picture of the shepherd leading his sheep back 
to the fold. When the children have the thought of this return, 
she can sing to them the song "Back to the Fold," which is full 
of the feeling of this experience. 

"Home from the green field where the brook is flowing, 
Lambkins and shepherd are together going. 
In the warm fold all are creeping, 
Sheep and lambs no longer leaping. 
Soon they will be sleeping." 

(Songs for the Little Child.) 

Dramatization : 

The children may play that the teacher is the shepherd 
and that they are lambs and sheep. The shepherd chooses a 
corner of the room as the sheepfold and another part as the 
pasture. He leads his sheep out to pasture and at night brings 
them back to the fold. 

Handwork : 

If there is a set of the large floor blocks available, the 
teacher and children may build together a sheepfold, so that 
the children will have a clear idea of a fold. If there are 



LAMBS 261 

celluioid sheep and lambs available, they may be used, or 
wooden toys may represent, so that the children can take the 
sheep and lambs in and out the fold. If neither are at hand, 
the teacher can cut from a pattern cardboard lambs and sheep 
which will stand up. This play is dear to the heart of the 
child and makes the shepherd idea more real. 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for the lambs and 
sheep and for the shepherd who cares for them. 

Story: The Lost Lamb. 

At some later time the story of the Good Shepherd or 
the Lost Lamb may be told the children. They now have 
a basis in the study that has been made for fully understand- 
ing and appreciating the most beautiful Bible story, next to 
the birth of the Christ-child, for this period of childhood. 

Once upon a time there was a good shepherd who had a 
hundred lambs and sheep. Every morning he led them out 
where the green grass was growing and the little brook ran 
by. There they fed until the sun was setting in the west; 
then the shepherd led them back to the fold. 

One day while the lambs were playing on the green and the 
old sheep were eating the grass and drinking the cool water 
the shepherd saw that a storm was gathering. Dark clouds 
covered the sun and big drops of rain began to fall. The 
shepherd called the lambs and sheep and started quickly back 
to the fold. In his haste he lost one little lamb, but he did not 
know it. 

When he reached the fold he opened the door and let the 
sheep and the lambs go in one by one. He counted them — one, 
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, until he 
reached ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, 



262 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

ninety-nine! The hundredth one was missing. Where was 
that little lamb? 

The shepherd carefully fastened the door of the sheep- 
fold. He took his crook and shepherd's cloak and went out in 
the storm and darkness to find the little lamb that was lost. 
He called, but at first no answer came back to him. He kept 
calling, and by and by he heard a faint "Baa-baa." Then he 
hastened in the direction of the little voice, calling again. From 
a deep ditch at the side of the road he heard the "Baa-baa," 
louder now. In the ditch he saw the little lamb looking plead- 
ingly up at him. 

He scrambled down the steep sides, although he tore his 
clothes and hurt his hands, until he could reach the lamb with 
his crook. Very carefully he lifted it up and put it on his 
shoulder. Once out of the hole, he sped toward the sheep- 
fold. It was dark and it was storming, but the shepherd sang 
for joy because he had found the lamb that was lost. 

When he came to the fold he put it on a bed of warm hay, 
he bathed its bruises, and fed it some milk. Then he called in 
his friends, the other shepherds. "Come rejoice with me," he 
said, "for I have found my lamb that was lost !" 

Picture : 

The picture of "The Good Shepherd," by Plockhorst, may 
be shown the children after the telling of the story. Some 
of them, familiar with the figure of Jesus, will say, "Jesus 
is the shepherd, isn't he?" Although never forcing this con- 
clusion the teacher may welcome it. "Yes, Jesus is a good shep- 
herd." 

Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for loving us and car- 
ing for us as the shepherd does for the sheep. Thou art our 
shepherd. 



LAMBS 263 

Handwork : 

After the story has been told to the children a few times 
they will like to represent it in the sand table. The fold 
may be made of the moist sand, the road with the deep ditch 
may be indicated leading to the pasture. Little twigs may 
be stuck in the sand to suggest the green trees, and grass 
may be gathered and scattered over the top; the little brook 
may be outlined flowing through the pasture. Again the toy 
sheep may be used to play out the story and again the child's 
realization is deepened by this play experience. 

A copy of the picture of "The Good Shepherd," by Plock- 
horst, may be given to each child and mounted to take home. 
With crayon and paper he will like to tell the story. 

Dramatization : 

The children may suggest after the story has been told 
some day a dramatization which ought not to be attempted 
unless they really wish it. An older child or the teacher may 
be the shepherd. One child may be chosen as the lamb that 
was lost. The pasture and the fold as well as the road may 
be indicated in the room and a satisfactory hole or ditch 
invented. One group of children made this by letting four 
or five children take hands to form a ring or circle, leav- 
ing an opening at one side. Into this opening the little lamb fell 
at the proper point in the dramatization. When the good shep- 
herd, upon going back to find the lamb, discovered it in the 
hole and rescued it, the joy on the faces of all the children was 
indescribable. 

Story: David the Shepherd Boy. 

The story of "David the Shepherd Boy" may also be told 
and is of great interest to the children. David's bravery 
is more pronounced than that of the good shepherd because 



264 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

he rescues the lamb from the lion; his care appeals strongly 
to the children because he is a boy and nearer in age to them. 

Once upon a time there was a shepherd boy David. He was 
young and strong. His face was bronzed by the sun and the 
wind, but his eyes were very kind and gentle when he looked 
at his lambs and sheep. He kept his shepherd's stick or crook 
always by his side, and he also carried a slingshot and a bag 
of stones. 

For David led his sheep far from the fold. His pasture was 
near a forest by the side of a mountain. There were bears 
and lions in the forest. At night David could not take his 
sheep and lambs back to the fold. It was too far away. In- 
stead he kept them in the pasture and he lay down beside them 
to sleep with an ear always listening for any call of need from 
them. 

While the little lambs were cuddled close to their woolly 
mothers and the stars were coming out in the night sky one 
by one, David would sing and play upon his harp. He would 
sing about the great God who made the mountain and the 
pasture and the stream, who made the sun to shine by day and 
the moon and stars by night. He would tell the sheep that 
the great God loved them and David the shepherd boy, that 
he watched them in the night as in the day. 

One night, when all was still in the pasture, lambs and sheep 
and shepherd boy sleeping, there was a cry of fright and 
pain that brought David to his feet in a minute. As he ran, 
by the light of the moon he saw an old lion of the forest with 
a little lamb in his mouth. Quick David fitted a stone in the 
slingshot and let it fly. With a cry of rage the lion dropped 
the lamb and turned on David. 

David was not afraid; he seized the lion by his beard and 
beat him with the stick until he fell upon the ground. Then 
David knelt on the old lion, holding in his arm the baby lamb. 



LAMBS 265 

He sang praises to God who had helped him kill the lion and 
save the little lamb. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not 
want," David sang. 

Picture : 

The children will want to look again and again at the pic- 
ture of "Young David," by Gardner. David, the lion, the 
baby lamb, stand in clear relief against the background of 
the mountain ; they tell the whole story. Each child may have 
a copy of the picture to take home with him. 

Prayer : 

Very reverently the children will say over and over "The 
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Then they may pray, 
"Dear Lord, be our Shepherd. Please care for us and help 
us to care for every little thing thou givest us." 



LESSON LXIII 

THE MAY FESTIVAL (PREPARATION) 

The May Festival, to which the parents are invited, may 
close the year. It might well come at the end of May when 
spring is about to pass into summer and the child has gradu- 
ally come into possession of all its loveliness. It would be very 
desirable to hold it out of doors. The children can make May 
baskets and if possible fill them with flowers from the school 
flower boxes or garden. They may sing their favorite songs, 
tell stories, repeat verses, and dramatize as they choose. The 
program for the little child should not be set but as spontane- 
ous as can be secured. If he has lived through the experiences 
which have been suggested, they have become part and parcel 
of him and he will seek to express them through the different 
mediums. His prayer has grown in content through the year 
and God is now naturally included in every experience. 

The Preparation for the Festival 

Perhaps the children have asked from time to time to invite 
their fathers and mothers to the class. If so, each child can look 
forward to the closing day as the day when parents can come. 
The teacher may suggest to the children sending a written 
invitation to father and mother and the children can tell what 
they would like the invitation to say: "Dear Father and 
Mother, please come to our May Party. You will have a good 
time" ; or some other childish contribution. 

After the invitation is planned which each child proudly 
bears home at noon, they may decide together what they will 
do to make father and mother happy when they come. They 

266 



THE MAY FESTIVAL 267 

can suggest the songs that they would like to sing about the 
birds, the flowers, the sun, the rain, the bunnies and the 
chickens, or whatever else has appealed to them. They can 
say over some of their favorite verses and tell the stories that 
they think father and mother will most enjoy. The teacher 
may ask how they will need to speak so that everybody's father 
and mother can hear. They can try speaking so distinctly 
that the teacher can hear when she sits in father's or mother's 
chair. This little preparation is needed so that the children 
will be ready for the visitors and will think of their pleasure 
first. The social motive takes away all self-consciousness when 
the visitors come. 

Rhythm: 

When little children are happy, they always skip and run, 
as often has been said before. They may skip alone, with 
partners and then in a ring. A large circle may be formed 
at first and then smaller circles afterward or vice versa. 

If there is a Maypole available, the children will like to take 
the bright-colored streamers and dance around the pole in 
one direction until they have wound the ribbons; then revers- 
ing the direction, unwind. 

Handwork : 

The children will without doubt suggest giving father and 
mother a present, remembering the gifts given at Christmas 
when the parents came. They may think of the May baskets 
themselves or the teacher may suggest them. A very simple but 
attractive basket may be made from water-color paper which 
the children tint pink, blue, or yellow with their paints. A 
square about 7 by 7 inches may be folded twice and opened 
out. Cuts may be made on each one of the four lines which 
meet in the center to within a little over an inch of the center. 
At each cut one edge may be pasted over the other and thus 



268 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

a basket made. The four points may be folded back giving 
four extending flaps. One or two handles may be pasted or 
fastened from corner to opposite corner. 



May Basket 
7x7 inches 



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Prayer : 

Dear Father in heaven, may we make our fathers and 
mothers very happy at the May Party. 



LESSON LXIV 

THE MAY FESTIVAL 

The children may come a little early on the day of the festi- 
val in order to pick their flowers and fill the baskets for their 
mothers and fathers. If they can use the flowers from their 
own garden or window boxes, it will make the gift doubly 
their own and the joy so much the greater. After the baskets 
are filled they may be hidden in a cool place until the chil- 
dren are ready to give them. 

Greeting : 

As the parents come the children may meet them informally 
and greet them, showing them anything about the room or 
the school grounds that can be exhibited. If children and 
parents come together, then the teacher will have to arrange 
for the filling of the baskets behind a screen or in some other 
way to keep the surprise. 

Program : 

The children may then choose their songs, repeat the verses, 
tell the stories, and dramatize as spontaneously as possible. 
Only such suggestion from the teacher should be given as is 
needed to guide their expression and to make it more en- 
joyable for the parents. On such occasions the teacher must 
use good judgment, keeping the more assertive children from 
overshadowing the more modest ones and avoiding too great 
prominence for the timid child. It is best to avoid any friction 
which would humiliate either child or parent if this can be 
done without sacrificing principle. If the social motive of 

269 



270 THE BEGINNERS BOOK IN RELIGION 

giving pleasure to these dear ones is kept prominent, there 
will be little difficulty of any kind, and the day may prove the 
happiest of the year. 

The skipping suggested before may be brought in when the 
children ask to skip or when it seems the best expression for 
their mood. The Maypole dance may be used if desired. 

At some point in the hour when time is best suited to de- 
votion the children may thank God for the happy days to- 
gether, for father and mother, for Jesus, and for God the 
good Father of all. They may ask him to help them to be good 
and to take care of them always. 

Gifts: 

Finally the glad moment arrives when the May baskets 
are given. The children will enjoy having the mothers and 
fathers close their eyes while they silently steal about putting 
the baskets in their laps or on the floor behind or in front 
of their chairs. 

Party: 

If it seems desirable a simple party of ice cream and cake 
may be served. The teacher may give each child a little rose 
candle as her surprise. The candles can be easily made as 
follows : a cardboard circle an inch in diameter may hold 
a small candle by making a hole in its center, a large circle 
of pink tissue paper may be scalloped around the outside, 
then caught up about the circle and the candle, using the 
circle as a base. It can be fastened close to the candle with 
a small rubber and the protruding edges opened out, giving the 
effect of rose petals. These little candles or any other simple 
gift will bring to the children that joy in receiving which 
should always go with the joy of giving for the little child — 
his giving being, as we have said before, a sharing. 



THE MAY FESTIVAL 271 

Dismissal : 

On this the last day of the class together the teacher 
should make much of each child, allowing all the oppor- 
tunity to say good-by to her and to one another. It should 
be the happiest of good-bys, however, with bright anticipations 
of the summer and of meeting together again in the fall. The 
teacher may also bring to the children the thought of having 
God with them everywhere. The beautiful connecting link 
while they are apart is his love and their love for one another. 
She may pray : "Dear God our Father, we thank thee for thy 
great love. We love thee. Watch between us while we are ab- 
sent one from the other." 



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